Israel Matzav

Could Aryeh Deri bring the Left to power?

Former Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri, who has been out of politics for several years due to his conviction for a 'crime involving moral turpitude' (bribery), would take seven seats - five of them from the Right - if he were to start his own political party, according to a Dahaf poll.

The dream of the Left is that a party headed by Aryeh Deri, who was previously in the Shas party, would grab enough right wing voters to enable him to put the left into power. Deri is friends with Chaim Ramon and critics say he is devoted to the "holy trinity" (me, myself and I).

For those basing their plans on the results of the poll a word of warning: these results are before any effort has been made to warn that a vote for the Deri party is a vote to bring the left to power, leave the Golan, divide Jerusalem etc. Israel's recent political history is full of people that Yediot Ahronot promoted with favorable Dahaf polls that puttered out at the real poll on election day.

Telephone poll of a representative sample of 500 adult Israelis (including Arab Israelis) carried out by Dahaf for Yediot Achronot the weeks of 25 February 2011 and published on 25 February 2011

If elections held today (expressed in Knesset seats)
Current Knesset seats in [brackets].
28 30 [28] Kadima lead by Livni
21 23 [27] Likud
15 16 [15] Yisrael Beiteinu
08 10 [11] Shas
07 07 [13] Labor
06 06 [03] Meretz
06 06 [05] Yahadut Hatorah
05 05 [04] Nat'l Union
03 03 [03] Jewish Home/NRP
12 12 [11] Arab parties
02 02 [---] Green party
00 00 [---] Ehud Barak Atzmaut
07 --- [---] Party headed by Aryeh Deri

I know that those of you in the West are probably horrified that a man who has been convicted of bribery could actually return to the Knesset and gain that many votes. Welcome to Israel.

Labels: Aryeh Deri, Israeli election polls

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 7:42 AM