With unprecedented three election campaigns under their belt in the span of one year, the parties running for parliament have hardly changed their makeup, yet the results of the March 2 election, which so far project 58 seats for the right-wing bloc, 39 for the Center-Left, 16 seats for the Joint Arab List, and seven for Yisrael Beytenu, show that a record number of women and non-Jewish lawmakers will soon walk the plenum halls.
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Some 30 women lawmakers will soon take their seats in parliament, an improvement over the previous Knesset, which had 28 female MKs. Women will thus make up 25% of the House, which numbers 120 seats.
The elections in 2015 and in April 2019 saw 29 women elected to parliament but so far, it is the 20th Knesset that holds the record for female representation, with 35 women lawmakers.
The 23rd Knesset also stands to see an increase in the number of Arab MKs, as the Joint Arab List, a faction comprising the Arab or mostly-Arab Balad, Ra'am-Ta'al, and Hadash parties, has increased its power from 13 to 15 seats.
Dr. Ofer Kenig, a senior lecturer in Ashkelon Academic College and a research fellow in Israel Democracy Institute, told Israel Hayom that assuming no major changes take place in the distribution of mandates after Central Election Committee concluded its vote count, the 23rd Knesset will comprise 100 native Israeli lawmakers, and 20 immigrates, who came to Israel from Europe (11) Africa (8), and Asia (1).
The 23rd Knesset will include only three new MKs, two from the Joint Arab List and one from Shas, the Sephardic ultra-Orthodox party.
The 23rd Knesset is slated to be sworn in at a festive ceremony on March 16.
