Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Tuesday that his Otzma Yehudit party will not enter a surplus-vote agreement with Ofer Winter’s Amcha Yisrael party, which is seen as a political rival on the right. This refusal could potentially lead to wasted votes within the right-wing bloc in upcoming elections.
Surplus-vote agreements are arrangements between parties that enable them to pool leftover votes—those that do not amount to a full Knesset seat—after the initial seat distribution. By combining surplus votes, allied parties can increase their chances of gaining an additional seat in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Such agreements have become common ahead of elections as more parties compete and the race tightens.
Ben-Gvir took to the social media platform X to explain his decision, casting Winter as a political continuation of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett—a comparison that underscores his distrust. Ben-Gvir wrote, “Winter is Bennett 2, therefore, Otzma Yehudit will not sign a surplus vote agreement with him,” referencing Bennett’s role as head of a coalition government opposing Benjamin Netanyahu in 2021.
Amcha Yisrael responded swiftly to the rejection, accusing Ben-Gvir of launching a damaging campaign against a fellow right-wing politician. The party stated that such tactics alienate right-wing voters and weaken the broader camp ahead of the elections. “Only a strong Amcha Yisrael will bring about a broad national government,” their statement said, emphasizing their belief in the necessity of unity on the right.
The friction between these parties comes amid increased scrutiny of Winter by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies. Concerns have been raised that Winter might shift support away from Netanyahu’s camp. Meanwhile, the Reservists party, led by Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha, has yet to finalize a surplus-vote agreement ahead of the legal deadline on October 16.
In recent days, Netanyahu’s Likud party and the Religious Zionism party, led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, finalized their own surplus-vote pact. Otzma Yehudit, however, claimed that Likud declined a similar agreement with them, alleging that this move was part of a strategy to marginalize Ben-Gvir and exclude his party from a planned unity government alongside Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot.
Other parties have secured surplus-vote agreements as well. On Sunday, Shas and United Torah Judaism announced a pact, while Eisenkot’s Yashar party has agreements with both the Democrats, led by Yair Golan, and the Democrats' allies. Additionally, the Together party, headed by Naftali Bennett, and Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, have also entered into a surplus agreement.
The distribution of Knesset seats begins after the total number of valid votes is divided by 120, the number of seats in the Israeli parliament. This calculation yields the “mandate measurement,” representing the number of votes needed for one seat. While whole seats are assigned based on this formula, fractional votes remain unallocated. Surplus-vote agreements allow two parties to combine their excess votes in this phase, potentially securing an extra seat for one party in the alliance. The absence of such agreements may thus increase the risk of votes being effectively lost.