If elections were held today, Minister-without-portfolio MK Gideon Sa’ar’s newly independent party, New Hope, would win just 3.4% of the general vote, barely above the 3.25% electoral threshold, according to Maariv’s weekly poll, conducted by Dr. Menachem Lazar.
Sa’ar’s four seats come at the expense of its former party, National Unity.
The full results are National Unity, 36, Likud, 18, Yesh Atid, 11, Shas, 10, Yisrael Beytenu, 9, Otzma Yehudit, 9, United Torah Judaism (UTJ), 6, Hadash-Ta’al, 5, Ra’am, 4, Meretz, 4, Religious Zionist Party (RZP), 4, and New Hope, 4. Both Labor and Balad do not pass the electoral threshold.
Prime Minister?
On the question of suitability for prime minister, 47% said Minister-without-portfolio and National Unity MK Benny Gantz was more suitable than current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; 34% said that Netanyahu was more suitable; and 19% said they did not know.
Respondents were more open to the idea of Sa’ar joining the war cabinet than National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who said this week that he would demand entry into the war cabinet if Sa’ar were offered a spot.
Some 41% said they supported Sa’ar’s entry versus 39% who opposed it, compared to 31% who supported Ben-Gvir’s entry, with 57% opposing it.
The poll was conducted on March 13-14 among 601 adults. The margin of error is 4.0%.