IDI President Yohanan Plesner on the Urgent Need for Political Reform

In a Hebrew article in The Marker, Israel's leading journal of economic affairs, IDI President Yohanan Plesner outlines the need for political reform, explaining:

"A continuation of the current political instability would constitute a strategic threat to the Israeli economy”.

Pointing to the last government’s inability to carry out their policies due to early elections, Plesner says:

“If the system is reformed, making the coalition and the government more stable, then governments will serve for longer periods of time, enabling them to execute their policies and enact reforms”

Plesner also presented IDI research showing that the majority of Israelis - both Jews and Arabs - favor political reform, with 64% believing that the deficiencies of the current system are the main obstacle to governments taking decisive policy action.

Plesner and IDI recommend changing the system of government in order to improve governance and boost political stability. Among other proposals, he suggests that the right to form a governing coalition be awarded automatically to the head of the party that received the greatest number of votes - a reform currently supported by around half of those surveyed during an IDI poll.

IDI is currently working to advance these reforms and to raise awareness among decision-makers and the public at large.

To read the full article in Hebrew, please click here.