Elections for 21st Knesset are over, and the question remains is how much did the election cost the nation? The various political parties entering the 21st Knesset will now receive funding based on their size. Parties which did not pass the minimum threshold will have to find their own resources to cover their election debt.

The information below is based on the results as of Thursday morning, April 11, 2019, results that will likely change somewhat following the tabulation of the votes from the IDF, hospitals and prisons.

The amount received by each party is calculated according to the average number of mandates received by a party in the current Knesset and the mandates it received in the 20th Knesset. The average received adds one mandate to each party and the result multiplies by the financing unit, which stands at NIS 1.38 million.

Thus, despite the fact that the two big parties, Blue and White headed by Benny Gantz and the Likud headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, received 35 Knesset seats each, the Likud’s funding will be higher than that received by Blue and White.

The average number of Likud seats is 32.5 (it had 30 seats in the previous Knesset), to which the mandate is added and the result (33.5) multiplies by NIS 1.38 million. The Likud will receive NIS 46.36 million to finance the elections.

Blue and White, according to the same calculation, which includes the mandates of Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party from the previous Knesset (11 seats), it will receive NIS 33.2 million.

Labor Party headed by Avi Gabbai will receive NIS 18.6 million; Shas headed by Aryeh Deri will receive NIS 11.8 million, Yahadut Hatorah headed by Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Gafne will receive NIS 11.1 million, Yisrael Beiteinu headed by Avigdor Lieberman will receive NIS 9 million, and right-wing parties headed by Rafi Peretz will receive NIS 8.3 million, Kulanu headed by Moshe Kahlon will received NIS 11.1 million, Meretz headed by Tamar Zandberg will receive NIS 7.6 million, and Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am-Balad will receive NIS 17.3 million together.

The total amount of the election funding is NIS 178.4 million. The calculation method creates a situation whereby if you divide back the total amount in a financing unit you reach 128 seats.

Time to return guarantees
Parties that did not pass the threshold will receive one funding unit to cover their expenses. But their expenses exceeded NIS 1.38 million and they will have to formulate a plan to deal with the return of the loan guarantees they raised. Naftali Bennett, the new right-wing chairman, donated NIS 250,000 to the party and raised NIS 6.5 million in additional guarantees and raised NIS 249,000.

Among the guarantors are Ariel Kor of Jerusalem – NIS 3 million, Tal David of Nordia – NIS 1.5 million, Yonatan Greenwald of Jerusalem – NIS 1 million, Avner Kinel of Chibat Zion – NIS 300,000, Aryeh Jacobson of Tel Aviv – NIS 200,000; Shekel for the party.

The head of the Gesher party, Orly Abekasis-Levi has raised guarantees totaling NIS 3 million and donations totaling NIS 235,000, but will receive only NIS 1.38 million from the state.

Among the guarantors in the party are Baruch Sheinberg of Tel Aviv – NIS 1 million, Eliyahu Gradish of Netanya – NIS 1 million, high-tech man Dedi Perlmutter of Haifa – NIS 350,000, Benjamin Kahn of Caesarea – NIS 300,000, and Nelly Kaplan of Caesarea, Simon Tzarfati of Ashdod and Tali Ochana of Rosh Pina. One thousand shekels each.

The Blue and White party also raised NIS 12 million in guarantees to be returned to the guarantors, among them Alrov founder Alfred Akirov, owner of the Tzvi Neta Metropolin and businessman Shmuel Charlap and Smadar Unger.

This is how the parties will be financed on an ongoing basis
In addition to financing the elections, each party will receive current monthly party funding, according to the following calculation: NIS 83,000 for each mandate and NIS 83,000 for the party. A list consisting of more than one party receives an addition of NIS 83,000 to each party that makes up it. According to this calculation, the Likud will receive NIS 3 million a month, NIS 36 million a year, and Blue and White will receive NIS 2.17 million a month.

The Labor Party, which received six mandates, will receive monthly funding of NIS 581,000; Shas, with 8 seats, will receive NIS 747,000 a month, and United Torah Judaism with 8 mandates will receive NIS 830,000 a month, because it is comprised of Degel Hatorah and Agudat Yisrael, which earns NIS 83,000 each. All of us with 4 Knesset seats will receive 415,000 shekels a month, Meretz with 4 seats will also receive 415,000 shekels a month, Hadash -Ta’al with six Knesset seats will receive 581,000 shekels and Ra’am Balad with 4 seats will receive 415,000 shekels NIS per month.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)