The Forum for Political Reform in Israel was established to serve as a respected public authority for examining, formulating and stimulating public discourse on political reforms essential to preserving and improving Israel’s parliamentary democracy. The Forum, using policy research developed by teams of IDI scholars, will formulate definitive, practicable and thoroughly constructed proposals for electoral reform, and for adjusting and upgrading the structure and functioning of the political parties and government.
In remarks delivered at the opening session of the Forum, Speaker of the Knesset MK Reuven (Ruby) Rivlin stated that there is no alternative to parliamentary democracy as Israel’s form of government. The “experiment” of the two-ballot system – or direct election of the Prime Minister – led to the near downfall of Israeli democracy and intensified political divisions within the Knesset.
MK Rivlin discussed proposals that distort the foundations of parliamentary democracy and noted that one – the proposal to hold a second round of elections between the two political parties that receive the most votes in an election cycle – “is a step backwards towards direct elections as in the Soviet Union. This is wrong, damages parliamentary democracy, and is contrary to the will of the people.” MK Rivlin - a guest of the Forum and not a standing member - proposed including a system of partial regional representation within Israel’s electoral system, such that half of the Knesset members would be chosen from a national list and the other half from a regional list.
The Forum’s Chairman, Supreme Court President (Ret.) Justice Meir Shamgar, stated that a renewed examination of the electoral system and governmental systems and infrastructure is desirable. In his opinion, “even under normal circumstances, and these are not normal circumstances, it is a welcome thing to see a forum that thinks anew about things that have been accepted for a long time. Sometimes patterned behavior becomes chains that restrict people’s thinking.”
IDI President Dr. Arye Carmon, acknowledged that the catalyst for the Forum’s founding was the tremendous accumulation of storm clouds that have been gathering for many years over Israeli democracy. Continuous government instability in Israel fosters a sense of unease and is driving the desire to locate practical solutions. He noted that the Forum is attempting to formulate professional recommendations that will lead to improved and lasting democratic health. Dr. Carmon asked the Knesset chairperson to help establish a relationship between the Forum and the Knesset in order to promote critical governmental reforms.
Chairman of the Israel Democracy Institute, Mr. Shlomo Dovrat, asked the Forum to enlist all of its efforts because “governmental reform is a historic need and the Forum, with its impressive membership, creates a historic opportunity to achieve far-reaching results.”