May 17, 1977
Likud Wins the 1977 Election
Historical context
On May 17, 1977, Likud won 43 seats and ended the Labor Alignment’s hold on the Knesset.
Archive record
Read the event, then follow its documented sources and archive threads.
- Date
- May 17, 1977
- Verified sources
- 2
- Archive threads
- 3
On this day, Israelis voted for the Ninth Knesset. The Jewish Virtual Library’s tally gives Likud 583,968 votes and 43 seats. The Alignment won 32. The Democratic Movement for Change won 15.
The New York Times reported the next morning that Labor had been defeated for the first time since independence and that Likud leader Menachem Begin expected the president to ask him to form a government.
Research trail
Sources and further reading
- Elections to the 9th Knesset · Jewish Virtual Library · Jewish Virtual Library View source
- Likud Asks for Unity · The New York Times · The New York Times View source
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