Israel elections are now set for January 22, 2013 after Israel’s Knesset voted to dissolve itself earlier this week. The election will see Israel’s 5.5 million eligible voters go to the polls. Even more so than in other democracies, election season in Israel triggers political jockeying and intrigue.

The beginning of the week saw polls and political analysis converge to a consensus that the ruling center-right Likud party, led by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would emerge from the election the clear winner. Netanyahu’s Likud Party quickly announced it would hold its internal primaries in November, which will allow registered Likud members to vote on the party’s list of candidates.

Nonetheless speculation immediately began to swirl that several relatively popular politicians who were currently on the sidelines might choose to formally contest the Prime Ministership. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Deputy prime minister Tzipi Livni met to consider their options, and by mid-week some polls indicated that their centrist Kadima party could win more seats than the Likud if they returned. That electoral scenario might see a replay of the last election, when Kadima won more seats but Netanyahu was chosen by Israeli President Shimon Peres as having the best chance to form a governing coalition representing at least half-plus-one of Israel’s Knesset.

Olmert’s possibility of a straightforward political comeback was thrown into disarray, however, when the state prosecutor’s office announced that it would to pursue further criminal charges against him. Olmert was recently acquitted on corruption charges and received a suspended sentence for a breach-of-trust conviction, and the state prosecutor’s announcement spelled out the office’s intention to appeal those rulings. The announcement was made on the same day as Olmert was meeting Livni to review polling data.

The religious Shas Party, in a surprise move, invited back its former leader Aryeh Deri to helm the party after a 13 year political exile. Shas is currently led by Eli Yishai, who led Shas during Deri’s absence and is now facing an internal struggle for control of party.

Any new parties in Israel have until October 23 to register in order to compete for the country’s upcoming January 22 ballot, meaning that Israeli politicians now have only until mid-week than a week to add to the current crop of parties.

[Photo: James Emery / Wiki Commons]