Constitutional Liberal Party

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Constitutional Liberal Party of Yisrael
המפלגה הליברלית הקונסטיטוציוני של מדינת ישראל nameModern Hebrew
ChairpersonMichael Aone
Member of Knesset and Leader of the OppositionYaakov Luzzatto
FoundedOctober 26, 1922 (1922-10-26)
(de facto 1920)
Preceded byConstitutional Liberals
(circa 1880s - 1922)
Reformists
(1904 - 1922)
HeadquartersDervaylik
NewspaperLiberal Weekly Political Intelligencer
Student wingLiberal Students for Yisrael
IdeologyProgressivism
Centrism
Weaker monarchy
Third Way
Internal Factions:
Social liberalism
Social democracy
Welfare capitalism
Green liberalism
Political positionCenter-to-Center-left
ReligionTraditional 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.

History

Organization and hierarchy

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
Increase 3 #2 Minority
2016
39 / 142
Decrease 27 #2 Minority
2014
66 / 142
Increase 18 #1 Majority
2012
48 / 142
Decrease 3 #2 Minority
2010
51 / 142
Decrease 9 #2 Minority
2008
60 / 142
Increase 3 #1 Majority
2006
57 / 142
Decrease 10 #1 Majority
2004
66 / 142
TBD #1 Majority

International Affiliation and Criticism