Neither party has ever attained a majority of Knesset seats. However, in the 1996 elections, the two large parties together received just over half of the seats, with the small parties increasing in strength. Knesset seats are assigned in proportion to each party's percentage of the total national vote. A party's surplus votes, insufficient for an additional seat, are redistributed among the various parties according to their proportional size, or as agreed between parties prior to the elections. A treasury allocation for election campaigns is granted to each party based on its number of seats in the outgoing Knesset.
New parties receive a similar allocation retroactively for each member elected.
The state comptroller reviews the disbursement of all campaign expenditures. Candidates for prime minister may be nominated by a party, or parties, with at least 10 seats in the outgoing Knesset, or by 50,000 enfranchised persons. Candidates must be Israeli citizens, over 30 years old and heading a party running for the Knesset. A prime minister who has served for seven consecutive years is not eligible for reelection. In the elections, the candidate who receives over half of the valid votes becomes the prime minister.