From the end of World War II to the establishment of former British Prime Minister David Cameron's government in 2010, there was no coalition government in Britain. But the case of Cameron was not the only instance of parliamentary elections ending with no clear majority for any party. The current government in Britain is a coalition government that outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May was forces to put together after the Conservative Party won "only" 317 out of 650 seats in the 2017 election. The rest of the seats were split between nine different parties, the prominent of which was the Labour party, with 262, and the Scottish National party, with 35. Now May has announced her resignation, which was in the main prompted by the Brexit rebels in her own party, who would have made her life miserable even if she hadn't leaned on other parties in Parliament.
But perhaps the more relevant example to what is currently happening with the coalition crisis in Israel is the double election compromise of 1974, which proved that a victor's determination can pay off if he is willing to take a calculated risk. In 1974, the British Parliament included 635 seats. In the election that was held in February of that years, the Conservatives – under then-Prime Minister Edward Heath – were voted out, winning 297 seats, compared to 301 for the Labour party under Harold Wilson. Wilson was named prime minister after the Liberals refused to sit with the Conservatives in a coalition. Interestingly, one of the main issues in that election was the conditions under which Britain would join the EU, which was then known as the European Community.
Either way, Wilson led a minority government that found it difficult to function. He sought a repeat election at the earliest possible date, and in October of that year, another election was held. This time, his party won 319 seats, which made things easier for him. In March 1976, Wilson announced he would be leaving politics because he was "mentally and physically exhausted." Some think that Wilson resigned because his doctor has spotted early signs of Alzheimer's. However, there is no doubt that the internal strife in his party over Britain joining Europe contributed to his decision. Indeed, history repeats itself.
There was a precedent for Wilson's determination in 1974. In 1964, he was voted prime minister for the first time, but Labour under his leadership at the time won such a tiny majority that it could not function. Wilson eventually decided to move the election forward, and it was held in 1966. His gamble paid off, and Labour won another 47 seats.
It is no simple thing to decide on an early election. Other than the 1974 election in Britain, it's hard to find instances of two general elections being held in a single calendar year. There are many examples, however, of leaders who decided to move up a general election finding that it boomerangs. But sometimes, a leader has no choice. The Wilson instances from 1966 and 1974 proved that gutsiness can pay off.
