Left-wing Israeli parties unite ahead of March election ‘to save votes’

Israel’s main left-wing parties have announced they will run on a single ticket in the March 2 election. Both Labor and Meretz had been polling close to the electoral threshold and were under intense pressure to unite into a single bloc so as not to lose votes.

If one of them had failed to enter parliament, it would have all but guaranteed reelection for PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his nationalist bloc, AP said.

Labor Party chairman Amir Peretz will lead the joint list. The “technical union”formed to save votes helps bolster Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz’s chances of unseating Netanyahu.

The March election will be the third in the space of a year, after the previous two rounds produced inconclusive results. Various right-wing parties are also working to unite before Wednesday’s deadline for submitting the final lists of candidates for parliament.