On This Day: The 1977 Political Revolution in Israel
On this day, the 1st of Sivan, 42 years ago, the Likud party rose to power in Israel for the first time, in what was called 'The Great Turnover'.
- דבי רייכמן
- פורסם א' סיון התשע"ט
1977 Elections (Photo: Yaakov Saar, Courtesy of GPO) #VALUE!
During the first 30 years following the establishment of the State of Israel, the labor parties, predominantly Mapai, held power, as they did in pre-state institutions. However, in 1977, a change occurred.
The government of Yitzhak Rabin, which preceded these historic elections, was rife with internal disagreements and political maneuvers. In December 1976, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin announced his resignation. The government continued as a 'caretaker government,' and elections were scheduled for May, the 1st of Sivan 5737.
The election campaign that year was intense, leading to a surprise for the Israeli public: for the first time since the founding of the state, the right-wing Likud party defeated the left-wing parties, and Menachem Begin was elected Prime Minister. In these elections, election polls were broadcast for the first time, leading to the historic broadcast in which Haim Yavin announced the 'turnover' based on the polls.
These elections openly marked the change in Israel's democratic and socio-economic structure, and Israeli politics divided into two equally powerful blocs.
