Registration Deadline Causes Stir Ahead of Israeli Election 

Israel’s parliament was all a flutter Thursday, as lawmakers and desperate hopefuls dashed to sign last minute deals or announce dramatic splits, with the midnight deadline for all party lists to be finalized ahead of the fast-approaching March elections. With less than 50 days till Israelis head to the polls yet again, for the fourth time in two years, Thursday was the last chance for any eleventh-hour mergers between parties and individuals running in the general elections. On the right side, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu breathed a sigh of relief after his efforts to fuse two right-wing parties succeeded, meaning no vote will be wasted on a splintered list that will not make it into parliament. On the left, meanwhile, egos proved to be more of a challenge, as a cluster of tiny parties, identical in ideology and platform, failed to unite into one list that would ensure no votes are lost. If a party fails to reach the four-seat threshold needed to enter parliament, all the ballots cast for it are discarded, essentially helping the larger parties and especially those on the other side of the political spectrum. Parties can still drop out of the race until E-day, if they deem their chances hopeless.