01In brief
The 1968 Israeli presidential election was a Knesset vote held on March 26, 1968, in which incumbent President Zalman Shazar was reelected to a second five-year term. Shazar, Israel's third president, received 86 votes, a total later identified as the joint-highest support recorded in an Israeli presidential election. A later retrospective account describes the election as having no opposition candidate, although a formal ballot was still held.
02Background
Zalman Shazar — also known by his original surname Rubashov — was elected Israel's third president on May 21, 1963, after Yitzhak Ben-Zvi died in office on April 23.[1][4] A historian and journalist, Shazar had previously edited the labor newspaper Davar, served as a Knesset member from 1949 to 1959, and held the portfolio of Minister of Education and Culture in 1949–50.[5] Contemporary U.S. diplomatic records identify him as president during the 1964–1968 period.[6]
The Basic Law: The President of the State, passed on June 16, 1964, required election by a majority of all Knesset members — at least 61 votes — for a five-year term and limited a president to two consecutive terms.[4] The secret-ballot procedure was intended to make the choice a matter of state above coalition politics, allowing Knesset members to vote according to personal judgment rather than party directives.[2]
03Course of the Election
The Knesset convened on March 26, 1968, during the Sixth Knesset, which served from 1965 to 1969, and reelected Shazar to a second five-year term.[1][7] A Jerusalem Post retrospective lists the 1968 vote among six presidential elections — in 1951, 1957, 1962, 1968, 1978, and 1988 — that had no opposition candidate, although a formal ballot was held.[3]
Shazar received the backing of 86 Knesset members.[2] That total was later described as the joint-highest support recorded in an Israeli presidential election, equaled by Yitzhak Navon in 1978 and Shimon Peres in 2007.[2] Shazar was 78 years old at the time of his reelection.[8]
04Aftermath
Shazar's second term ended in May 1973.[9] His decade-long presidency included the Six-Day War and its aftermath.[5] He also made the presidential residence a center for Israeli and Jewish scholars, writers, and artists, continuing a practice associated with his predecessor.[1]
The 86-vote total became a benchmark in histories of Israeli presidential elections, demonstrating broad parliamentary support.[2] Shazar died in 1974, one year after completing his presidency.[1] Biographical records date his service from 1963 to 1973.[5]
05Historiography
Sources
- 1Jewish Virtual Library, Zalman Shazar, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 2Mako, Is the race known in advance? Everything you need to know about the presidential race, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 3The Jerusalem Post, Borderline Views: The Dorner factor, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 4Encyclopedia.com, President of Israel, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 5Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Glossary of Israeli Parties and Personalities - 1948-1981, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 6Office of the Historian, Historical Documents, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 7Encyclopedia.com, Land of Israel: Political Life and Parties, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 8Ynet, The 'first Mizrahi president' who wasn't, accessed on October 3, 2026.
- 9Jewish Review of Books, Shabbtai at Seventy, accessed on October 3, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What was the 1968 Israeli presidential election?
The 1968 Israeli presidential election was a Knesset vote held on March 26, 1968, in which incumbent President Zalman Shazar was reelected to a second five-year term. Shazar, Israel's third president, received 86 votes, a total later identified as the joint-highest support recorded in an Israeli presidential election. A later retrospective account describes the election as having no opposition candidate, although a formal ballot was still held.
What were Zalman Shazar's roles before becoming president of Israel?
Before becoming president, Zalman Shazar had served as editor of the labor newspaper Davar, as a Knesset member from 1949 to 1959, and as Minister of Education and Culture in 1949–50. He was also known as a historian and journalist.
What did the Basic Law: The President of the State require for a presidential election in Israel?
The Basic Law: The President of the State, passed on June 16, 1964, required election by a majority of all Knesset members — at least 61 votes — for a five-year term, and limited a president to two consecutive terms. The secret-ballot procedure was intended to make the choice a matter of state above coalition politics, allowing Knesset members to vote according to personal judgment rather than party directives.
How many votes did Zalman Shazar receive in the 1968 presidential election, and how does that compare to other Israeli presidential elections?
Zalman Shazar received 86 votes in the 1968 election, a total later described as the joint-highest support recorded in an Israeli presidential election. The same total was equaled by Yitzhak Navon in 1978 and Shimon Peres in 2007.
What notable events and activities marked Zalman Shazar's presidency?
Shazar's decade-long presidency, which ran from 1963 to 1973, included the Six-Day War and its aftermath. He also made the presidential residence a center for Israeli and Jewish scholars, writers, and artists, continuing a practice associated with his predecessor.