This poster was produced by the left-wing Meretz party in the run-up to the 2009 Israeli elections. The poster has a green background and features both the Meretz party logo and a series of statements about what Israel is waiting for. Each of the statements deals with a specific political issue that Meretz believe the State of Israel needs: peace, social security, investment in education, actions to protect the environment, clean politics, and, finally, hope. Each phrase appears in white letters and the poster is otherwise completely plain. The prominent colour green is the party’s colour, reflecting its environmentalist ideology and connecting it to green parties around the world.
This poster seems to be appealing to as many voters as possible. Despite Meretz being a left-wing political party, none of the requirements listed here are particularly controversial and could be agreed on by most viewers. Other more controversial aspects of the party’s policies, such as its stand on security and socioeconomic issues, are clearly missing.
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2009 Israeli General Elections – The elections for the 18th Knesset were held on February 10, 2009. The elections occurred after the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, head of the Kadima party, due to investigations into fraud allegations. The main issues that featured in the election campaign were the consequences of the 2006 Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. Ultimately, despite the fact that Kadima won the most seats in the Knesset, only the Likud’s Benjamin Netanyahu was able to form a coalition parliament, and he became the next prime minister.
Meretz - The Meretz Party is a Zionist left-wing, social-democratic political party in Israel. The party, that is largely secular, believes in religious freedom and the separation of religion and state. One of the issues that Meretz fights for is enabling secular citizens of Israel to observe Shabbat in any way that they see fit. Consequently, Meretz opposes laws such as banning public transport on Shabbat.
Elections in Israel – Israel is a democratic country, and general elections for the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, take place, according to the law, once every four years. The nationwide elections are based on a multi-party, proportional representation system. The legal voting age in Israel is 18, and all Israeli citizens from sectors may vote and be elected. Using voting slips with the initials of the parties, citizens vote for their preferred party and not for individual candidates. The 120 seats in the Knesset are then assigned proportionally to the parties according to the number of votes received. After the elections, the president of Israel chooses the leader of the largest party or of the party that is most likely to form a viable coalition government. This leader then forms a government, the Knesset gives it a vote of confidence, and the leader then becomes prime minister.
