Constitutional Liberal Party

Constitutional Liberal Party of Yisrael
המפלגה הליברלית הקונסטיטוציוני של מדינת ישראל name	Modern Hebrew
Chairperson	Michael Aone
Member of Knesset and Leader of the Opposition	Yaakov Luzzatto
Founded	October 26, 1922 (1922-10-26) (de facto 1920)
Preceded by	Constitutional Liberals (circa 1880s - 1922) Reformists (1904 - 1922)
Headquarters	Dervaylik
Newspaper	Liberal Weekly Political Intelligencer
Student wing	Liberal Students for Yisrael
Ideology	Progressivism Centrism Weaker monarchy Third Way Internal Factions: Social liberalism Social democracy Welfare capitalism Green liberalism
Political position	Center-to-Center-left
Religion	Traditional Judaism
Colors	Copper Gold
Seats in the Royal Knesset	42 / 142

The Constitutional Liberal Party of Yisrael, also commonly called Con Libs, Liberals, or the Golds (colloquially), is a contemporary centrist and center-left major political party in Yisrael, being the second-largest party and chief loyal opposition in the country's de facto two-party system in Yisraeli politics, opposed to the governing right-wing Royalist Conservatives. In 2018, the Liberals elected the first Yisraeli Christian, Michael Aone, to lead a major Yisraeli Zionist party.

Platform and philosophy

The Con-Libs consider themselves Yisrael's "leading" centrist and liberal political party, and the most effective platform for Chiloni- and Masorti-interests to be represented politically. The Liberals look to both homegrown Liberal Zionist ideas as well as inspiration abroad from policy perspectives from the global center-left anchored in countries such as Arthurista and Ottonia, while being careful to say that such ideas are "adjusted to Yisraeli life and norms."

The party's core tenets include safeguarding the constitutional limits on the monarchy, including the 1952 Royal Reform Acts, the latter being strongly opposed by the Yisraeli right. The party broadly supports increased social spending, especially on private healthcare subsidies for the poor and lower-middle-income, new national parks, and charity funds. The party, as the leading political platform for the Chiloni sectors, supports paring back or relaxing enforcement of religious law. Many in the party support decriminalizing a number of illegal or restricted drugs.

Recent platform changes

In the run-up to the 2018 Knesset midterm elections, the Con-Libs attempted to poach voters from the centrist middle-income-oriented Action Yisrael and religious right-wing Torah Achdus party by focusing on transportation issues, such as opposing new tolls and supporting a higher highway construction budget, as well as increasing the kollel stipend for largely-Chareidi Torah learners. The party had mixed success with this strategy: on the one hand, the Con-Libs narrowly flipped two swing seats held by the Torah Achdus party by attracting a modest increase in religious voters, but lost several of its own marginal seats to Action Yisrael, which won a record 12-seat bloc in the new Knesset, in part by flipping several Con-Lib suburban districts in the Central, Western, and Eastern Districts' metropolitan areas.

Election results and current representation

Current representation

The party leader is Yaakov Luzzatto (CL-Dervaylik), who serves as the Leader of HRM Opposition since January 11th, 2016.

Election results

Royal Knesset
Election	Leader	Seats won	+/−	Rank	Majority
2018	Yaakov Luzzatto	42 / 142	3	#2	Minority
2016		39 / 142	27	#2	Minority
2014		66 / 142	18	#1	Majority
2012		48 / 142	3	#2	Minority
2010		51 / 142	9	#2	Minority
2008		60 / 142	3	#1	Majority
2006		57 / 142	10	#1	Majority
2004		66 / 142	TBD	#1	Majority