Note that the lists of candidates and platforms in this table are in Hebrew.

About the 1959 Elections

The ruling Mapai party reached the election campaign for the Fourth Knesset in a strong position. The economic situation had greatly improved, the population of the State exceeded two million, and the IDF had been victorious in the Sinai Campaign. All these achievements were largely attributed to Mapai, and even more so to Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, who enjoyed wide-spread popularity at this time. Even the two coalition crises of the Third Knesset (one with the religious parties over the question of “who is a Jew” and the other with Mapam and Ahdut Ha’Avoda over the issue of the sale of weapons to Germany), and the ethnic riots in Wadi Salib, did not manage to erode Ben-Gurion’s popularity. Mapai’s campaign slogan—“say yes to the Old Man”—attests to the widespread popularity and the respect that Ben-Gurion enjoyed among broad sectors of the population.

It is therefore not surprising that the election results of the Fourth Knesset represented the peak of Mapai’s political power: 47 seats (52 with the satellite Arab lists). The second largest party, Herut, with 17 seats, did not endanger Mapai's position, and there was not a single new list among those that entered the Fourth Knesset, a fact attesting to stability. Two religious parties (18 seats), and Mapam (9 seats), preserved their power, while the strength of Ahdut Ha’Avoda (7 seats) and the General Zionists (8 seats) was reduced.

Despite his great electoral success, Ben-Gurion encountered difficulties in forming a government, especially due to internal conflicts within Mapai. The Prime Minister took steps to strengthen the power of the young members, creating disaffection among the veteran leadership. However, despite the opposition of the veterans, Ben-Gurion succeeded in introducing new faces to the Knesset, such as Moshe Dayan, Abba Eban, and Shimon Peres. The coalition that was formed was identical to that of the outgoing Knesset, with a solid majority of 81 MKs from five parliamentary groups: Mapai, NRP, Mapam, Ahdut Ha’Avoda and the Progressives (86 if the five seats of the three satellite Arab lists are counted).