2013 Iranian presidential election, Endorsements
While Rouhani is a high-ranking member of the Combatant Clergy Association, his candidacy in the election was not supported by CCA which has conservative tendency. He was supported by some moderate and reformist parties such as Moderation and Development Party and Islamic Iran Participation Front as well as Iranian reform movement's umbrella organization, Council for coordinating the Reforms Front. Rouhani's motto in the election is "E'tedal" which is translated to "Moderation" and he is described as a moderate politician by some western sources.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, Debates
From 25 May to 12 June 2013, each of the eight final candidates has the right to use National TV and Radio (IRIB) for their presidential election campaigns. In total, each candidate will use 405 minutes on Public TV and 285 minutes on Public Radio. This time comprises the candidates' own campaign programs as well as participation in the specific discussion shows. In addition, there will be three main live group debates on TV.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, Debates
The debates are held in three chapters: the first was held on 31 May, and second on 5 May and third on 7 May between all eight candidates. They differed from the previous election debates, which were held person-by-person. The 2013 debates and TV shows are moderated by Morteza Heidari and Hassan Abedini.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, Debates
The following table shows the programme details and the time schedule for each candidate in Iranian Public TV. The times given are the local time (UTC +4:30 IRDT).


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, Debates
1 The first one-hour TV program of Mohammad-Reza Aref was cut after 15 minutes and did not continue. Later, the program was completely shown again on Friday, 31 May 2013.2 Haddad and Aref's programs were not shown because they withdrew.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, State limits on the campaign
On 9 June Brigadier General Seyyed Masoud Jazayeri, Deputy Chief of Joint Armed Forces Headquarters and head of the Defense Propaganda Headquarters, "warned" a "few of the candidates" that "we have warned before that it's better that candidates express their opinions within the framework of presidency's authority, and avoid entering in those issues related to security or the armed forces." Jazayeri added that the Pasdaran will confront those candidates "who have spread untrue information and painted a black picture [of the regime], after the election."


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, State limits on the campaign
According to the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Jazayeri was "alluding to the two reformist candidates in the race, Mohammad Reza Aref and Hassan Rouhani". (Aref withdrew from the race 11 June)


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, State limits on the campaign
Also according to the Campaign, "several political activists and campaign workers have been arrested at political rallies, at their work places, and at their homes" since the beginning of June. In addition, "journalists and activists who had been imprisoned after the 2009 elections" and were later released on furlough "have been recalled to prison in the month leading to the election"


2013 Iranian presidential election, Campaign, State limits on the campaign
In the run-up to the election, the internet was drastically slowed down with poor connectivity and since March virtual private networks have been blocked, resulting in the inability of Iranians to access thousands of foreign websites, as well as Twitter and Facebook.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Opinion polls
The main online polls began after announcement of candidates' final list. The polls are divided into three main groups: field polls, telephone polls and internet polls.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Opinion polls, IPOS polls
As one of the few telephone polling systems in Iran, IPOS (Iranian Elections Tracking Polls) institute ran a daily poll system for the election, by claiming that they have the only official poll system in Iranian presidential election. The poll is based on the daily phone interviews with a sample size of around 1,000 people per day. The poll also reported that between 60 and 75% of the people confirmed they will participate in the presidential election.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Opinion polls, IPOS polls
On 6 June 2013 Ghalibaf held a strong lead in the poll with the support of 39% of decided voters. However, the poll notified that 57% of voters are undecided, meaning that the poll result can be changed easily. Rezaee and Jalili had the second and third place with 16.8 and 13.9% of decided voters respectively.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Opinion polls, IPOS polls
On 10 June 2013 Ghalibaf still held a lead in the presidential race, but this time with the support of 27% of decided voters. Ghalibaf votes has started to decrease after the third national TV debate held on 7 June 2013. The percentage of undecided voters decreased to 47%. Jalili and Rezaee had the second and third place with 16.5 and 16% of decided voters respectively. Rouhani's votes started to increase after the third national TV debate reaching from 8 to 14%. After Aref's withdrawal on 11 June 2013 and decreasing the undecided voters percentage, some significant changes in the percentages are expected in the following days.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Opinion polls, IPOS polls
On 12 June 2013 Rouhani made a notable lead in the presidential race, reaching 32% of decided votes. Ghalibaf votes has continued to decrease to 24.4% of decided voters. The percentage of undecided voters decreased to 42%. Jalili, Rezaee and Velayati had the third to fifth place with a rally small margin of difference.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Opinion polls, IPOS polls
On 13 June 2013 in the final results, Rouhani reached 38% of decided votes. Ghalibaf votes remained on 25% of decided voters. The percentage of undecided voters decreased to 38.7%. Rezaee, Jalili and Velayati were in third to fifth place.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results
According to the Ministry of Interior, 50,483,192 were eligible to vote in the first round. Over 66,000 polling stations were set up across the country. Expatriates were able to vote in 285 polling stations set-up in their respective countries. Due to its massive population, Tehran Province had the highest number of polling stations with over 17,000.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results
At 20:30 local time, the ministry announced Rouhani as the new president.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results
Split percentages are from the Ministry of Interior of Iran, based on all votes cast. This is because 50%+ of all votes is needed to win the first round.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results, Votes by provinces
The table below displays the official vote tallies by province.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results, Turnout
Officials said over 72 percent of over 50 million eligible Iranians turned out to vote.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results, Reactions
Prior to the election, the Foreign Ministry's spokesperson, Abbas Araghchi accused France and the United States of interfering in the electoral process after the two countries' officials criticised the nomination process and the disqualifications. Hours after the announcement of preliminary results, Ali Akbar Velayati and Mohammad Gharazi both conceded their loss in the election and congratulated the president-elect. Mohammad Reza Aref, the withdrawing candidate also published via his Twitter account, congratulating the new president and thanked people for voting for the reform movement.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results, Reactions
Hassan Rouhani, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Mohsen Rezaee's campaigns also thanked the nation on their high participation in the election. Tehran Stock Exchange's index also reached more than 46,000 units that was highest since February 2013. Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei also congratulated Rouhani on his election as new president of the country.


2013 Iranian presidential election, Results, Inauguration
The inauguration of Hassan Rouhani as the 7th President of Iran took place on two rounds, first on Saturday 3 August 2013 whereby he received his presidential precept from Supreme Leader and entered to the Sa'dabad Palace, official residence of the president in a private ceremony. The second was on the next day with sworn in for the office in the Parliament of Iran.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates
The Iranian presidential election debates of 2013 was held from 31 May to 7 June. For the 2013 election, the IRIB has approved three televised debates with all candidates, different from last election's format which was person-by-person. For each question, one candidate was chosen randomly to give his response. Then, other candidates shared their ideas. The eight candidates was explained their cultural and political plans during debates. The debates was focused on such issues as economy, foreign policy, and Iran’s comprehensive talks with the P5+1 group (United Kingdom, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany) over the country’s nuclear energy program. More than 45,000,000 people world-wide watched the debates according to IRIB.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The first debate
The first televised debate was held on May 31 at 4 PM UTC+4:30 in the Channel 1. All eight candidates were invited. The host of the first debates was Morteza Heidari. The first lottery was selected by a lottery based on a question which was answered within 3 minutes. Within 90 seconds of talk, then 7 others criticize him or his views were expressed. The selected person within 2 minutes to answer incoming criticism and the view was perfect.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The first debate, Questions
At the end of the round, each candidate paid within 90 seconds to sum up his views.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The second debate
The second televised debate took place on June 5 on Channel 1. Morteza Heidari also hosted the second debate.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The second debate, Format change
The second and third sections (test questions and pictures slide) was removed for the second and third debates and time of answering was changed up to seven minutes. Designing of the program was also changed. Save the time he also was added to the system, regardless of where each candidate could have the opportunity to criticize others and save time for other questions.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The second debate, Reactions
After Rouhani named Mohammad-Reza Shajarian as the cultural ambassador of the Iranian people, it was given the vast in the social medias. Gharazi was also more focused by the medias. Jalili's instrumental pieces Zarfiyat was also joked and his cultural views was heavily criticized.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The third debate
The third and last televised debate toke place on June 5 in the Channel 1. The host of debate remains unchanged. This debate passionately than the other two debates had. The conflict between Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Hassan Rouhani about July 1999 student protest was one of the main subjects of the debate. They also discuss about Syrian civil war and Arab spring. Independent Mohammad Gharazi also criticized conservatives and reformists mutuality with each other.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Debates, The third debate, Reactions
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's Foreign minister said that Iran's policies about Nuclear program will not changed despite anyone will be elected as the president, According to the candidates' ideologies about it.


2013 Iranian presidential election debates, Polls for Debates Winner
The following polls are held right after each debate in order to define the debate winner.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections
Governorate or provincial elections were held in Iraq on 20 April 2013, to replace the local councils in the governorates of Iraq that were elected in the Iraqi governorate elections of 2009. Elections took place in 12 of Iraq's 18 governorates. Elections didn't take place in the 3 governorates forming the Kurdistan Region or Kirkuk, Anbar, or Nineveh, meaning that a total of 378 provincial council seats were up for election.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections
The Iraqi government later decided on 19 March to delay the elections in the governorates of Anbar and Nineveh due to ongoing instability caused by the insurgency and the ongoing protests, prompting criticism from Muqtada al-Sadr and John Kerry. Elections for Anbar and Nineveh were held on 20 June.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Electoral Law
There have been several disputes about the electoral law that is to be used for the election. The current electoral law, which was also used in the 2009 election, states that if certain parties don't get enough votes, their votes and seats are given to the larger parties. In the 2009 election this led to many smaller parties failing to take any seats. Because of the disproportionate affect this law had on smaller parties, the Supreme Court of Iraq declared the law unconstitutional, as it restricted democracy.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Electoral Law
In spite of this ruling, and mostly due to the fact that because the law benefits the largest parties they have little incentive to change it, the law has yet to be changed. If not changed, the unconstitutional nature of the law however would make the 2013 election results vulnerable to a legal challenge. As a result, although this does not currently effect the work of the Independent High Electoral Commission, IHEC has been calling on the Iraqi government to pass changes to the law.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Electoral Law
In response to this, on 13 December 2012 the Iraqi parliament voted to adopt the Sainte-Laguë method as the new electoral method.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Participants
Parties and candidates wishing to stand for election had to register by the deadline of 25 November 2012. By the time of the deadline 243 entities, including 16 independent candidates, had registered, with some of the entities registering to participate for the first time. As a result of the large number of applications submitted for the registration of political coalitions for the election, IHEC decided to extend the deadline for submissions from the 13th to the 18th of December.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Participants
One of the biggest changes to the political coalitions taking part is the fact that the State of Law Coalition has expanded from its traditional supporters, with former opponents such as the Badr Organization, the National Reform Trend, the Islamic Virtue Party, and the secular Shiite White Iraqiya Bloc all joining the coalition for the election. Despite the massive size of the coalition, it is exclusively Shiite.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Participants
According to IHEC, a total of 8,224 candidates registered to run in the elections, including 131 candidates who have since been barred by IHEC from running due to their ties to the Iraqi Ba'ath Party.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Preliminary results
According to preliminary results from the 12 governorates were elections were held, Nouri al-Maliki's expanded State of Law Coalition would come in first place with 115 seats, second would come ISCI with 80 seats and Sadr Movement would win 50.


2013 Iraqi governorate elections, Preliminary results
With 87-90% of the vote counted, the results were as following:


2013 Ireland rugby union tour of Canada and United States
In June 2013, Ireland toured North America, playing test matches against Canada and the United States. The tour was part of the second year of the global rugby calendar established by World Rugby (known as the International Rugby Board prior to November 2014), which will run until 2019, with Ireland helping to expand Test opportunities for Tier 2 nations in 2013.


2013 Ireland rugby union tour of Canada and United States, Touring squad
Caps and ages are to first test date, 8 June


2013 Ireland rugby union tour of Canada and United States, Touring squad
Note: Flags indicate national union for the club/province as defined by World Rugby.


2013 Ireland rugby union tour of Canada and United States, Touring squad, Notes
Pre tour and post 2013 Six Nations Championship, the then head coach Declan Kidney, was sacked from his role as head coach of Ireland. Leinster's head coach Joe Schmidt was named as Kidney's replacement, but will be unable to fill the role for Ireland's Summer Tour. Therefore, assistant head coach Les Kiss, was named as interim head coach for the Summer Tour to Canada and United States.


2013 Ireland rugby union tour of Canada and United States, Touring squad, Notes
The initial squad was named on 19 May 2014, with Rory Best as captain. It was a significantly weaker squad due to a number of regular Irish players in the British & Irish Lions squad for their 2013 tour to Australia. The squad then lost their original captain, Rory Best, on 26 May, due to a call to the Lions squad. Peter O'Mahony was named as his replacement in terms of captaincy, and Seán Cronin filled the void left in the hookers. Ahead of the test against Canada, Ireland then lost Simon Zebo to the Lions. Zebo who has started in the test against the United States, was not replaced.


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby
The 2013 Irish Greyhound Derby took place during August and September with the final being held at Shelbourne Park in Dublin on 14 September 2013.


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby
The winner Slippery Robert won €120,000 and was trained by Robert Gleeson, owned and bred by Larry Dunne. The race was sponsored by the UK-based independent finance company Enterprise Target Solutions (ETS).


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
Defending champion Skywalker Puma, Ballymac Vic, Droopys Jet and recent Champions Stakes winner Paradise Madison were the leading contenders for the 2013 Irish Derby. The English threat came in the form of Holdem Spy. A mandatory first round acted as a trial because only 16 from 120 would be eliminated which was lucky for Ballymac Vic who could only finish fifth but still qualified.


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
In round two only Paradise Madison, Kereight King and Tyrur Sugar Ray remained unbeaten. Skywalker Puma who had impressed in the first round finished badly lame and was withdrawn. Kereight King posted the best third round time and became the new favourite but all the major names also progressed. The event was set for very competitive quarter finals but suffered a double blow before they started. The English hope Holdem Spy had suffered a hock injury when winning previously and Ballymac Vic gashed his foot at his home kennels.


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The first three quarter finals were won by Cabra Buck, Hawaii Kinsale and Isabels Boy win the first three heats, Droopys Jet was eliminated but Ballymac Vic qualified but ran under par with his patched up foot. The fourth heat contained Kereight King, Paradise Madison, Ringtown Snowy and Tyrur Sugar Ray and it was Kereight King confirming his favourite tag who won the race. Tyrur Sugar Ray ran well again to finish second but Paradise Madison and Ringtown Snowy failed to progress. Pat Curtin's Kereight King was now clear favourite.


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
The semi-final were as expected, Tyrur Sugar Ray won the weaker heat from Slippery Robert and Carrowgarriff and Cabra Buck continued his good run defeating Kereight King and Ballymac Vic. After the draw for the final it was revealed that Kereight King had broken a toe and Ballymac Vic had split his foot again. It meant a five dog final and Ballymac Vic would not be at his best.


2013 Irish Greyhound Derby, Competition Report
If the unnecessary first round had been cancelled it would have been likely that both Kereight King and Ballymac Vic could have competed in the final at their best. The five runner race saw Slippery Robert gain victory after taking the lead at the third bend from Cabra Buck. The under par Ballymac Vic held up the gambled Tyrur Sugar Ray at the first bend ending his chances.


2013 Irish budget
The 2013 Irish budget was the Irish Government budget for the 2013 fiscal year, presented to Dáil Éireann on 5 December 2012. It was the second budget of the 31st Dáil.


2013 Irish budget
The budget saw the introduction of the Local Property Tax at rates of 0.18% per annum and 0.25% per annum. Child benefit will be cut by €10 a month with €61m cuts in other household benefits. College fees will also rise in the next year by €250 a student while motor tax will also increase. A packet of 20 cigarettes increases by 10-cent while excise duty on a pint or beer or cider will increase by 10-cent, on a standard measure of spirits by 10-cent, and on a bottle of wine by €1.


2013 Irish budget
On 13 December 2012, Labour Party TD Colm Keaveney voted against the government on cuts to the respite care grant leading to his loss of the Parliamentary Labour Party whip.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums
Two constitutional referendums were held simultaneously in Ireland on 4 October 2013. The Thirty-second Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2013 proposed abolishing the Seanad, the upper house of the Oireachtas, and was rejected despite opinion polls to the contrary, while the Thirty-third Amendment of the Constitution Bill 2013 proposed the establishment of a Court of Appeal to sit between the High Court and the Supreme Court, taking over the existing appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, and was approved by voters.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
Governing coalition members Fine Gael and Labour Party supported abolishing the Seanad citing a 20 million euros reduction in spending and fewer politicians, meanwhile Fianna Fáil opposed the proposal on the grounds that voters should "demand real reform". Democracy Matters opposed the measure citing it as a power grab; more specifically, they referenced the biggest majority for a government coalition ever. It also pointed to five reasons to vote no: real reform, accountability, revive the economy, defend the constitution of Ireland and protecting rights. Sinn Féin also supported the motion.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the abolition would result in a leaner, more effective and more accountable system of government. Due to representation for large number of religious minorities (Protestants) in the first few Senate sessions, it has been a voice of Northern Ireland in introducing their perspective to national government. At the time, there were a large number of Protestant representative for the Roman Catholic majority. As such former senators Seamus Mallon (former Social Democratic and Labour Party MLA), Maurice Hayes (former Northern Ireland Ombudsman) and John Robb opposed the measure of abolition.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
Robb said that the abolition could "exclude the possibility of northern input into southern politics. I think it is very important to sustain that link, and it will not be sustained at political level, except by party politics blowing across the so-called border;" Mallon added that representation of six-county Northern Ireland was "very valuable" but that it should be from a "broader base. If you're simply going to have input from people in the mainstream party politics then it defeats its own purpose.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
There has been a huge reluctance on unionists to take nominations to the senate, that's a fact of life." Hayes added: It (the Seanad) might not have stopped a bill but it has certainly improved a lot of bills. [ While it is] hard to defend the senate in its present form, [something is needed to] keep a curb [on government ministers]. The Dáil is dominated by whichever government is in power, and there's no check on them really at all."


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
He cited the dismissal of TD Lucinda Creighton from her ministerial post the same year for voting against party policy on the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Act 2013 as evidence of suppressing independent opinions by the whip system. As such, he also noted that as a senator he had voted against Bertie Ahern, even though Ahern nominated him. Mallon said similarly that he "didn't go to the senate to take up a party whip. John Robb and myself are very clear about this, we went there as independents, we spoke as independents and we voted as independents. [ The Seanad offered] a new layer of both academic and technical and political expertise. [ It needs more people] from different walks of life." Yet, he conceded that "I'm afraid it will be passed and I'm afraid the Seanad will become a historical memory."


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna supported Democracy Matters' campaign saying that there was a lack of balance in the campaign with a disproportionate amount of funding for the advocates on the government side but that the Referendum Commission was doing its best to inform voters but was limited as it could not advocate for either side.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
"A Yes vote will block any possibility for the Seanad to be reformed into an effective checks and balance mechanism that might protect the rights of interest groups and citizens across the board. With Ireland currently under massive financial obligations to the IMF and the EU/ECB, this is not the time to dismantle our current constitutional structure.


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Campaign
There was never a time in our history when we needed scrutiny and accountability more than now and it beggars belief that most political parties are willing to support a decision which will allow for the easier passage of controversial legislation most of which emanates from the EU. Compared to Scandinavian courtiers, Germany and many of the new member states, Ireland’s has one of the least effective scrutiny systems of EU legislation within the EU. A reformed Seanad could provide real potential to correct this weakness in Ireland’s oversight of EU policy making."


2013 Irish constitutional referendums, Results, Abolition of the Seanad, Reactions
Kenny's reaction included that he was "personally disappointed" but that "sometimes in politics you get a wallop in the electoral process. I accept the verdict of the people... It is not about parties, it is not about leaders, it is not about government because there wasn't a government campaign here. It was the people's day and the people's decision and that's the people's absolute right and I think from that point of view this is the ultimate exercise in democracy."


2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship
The 2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship was a triathlon competition that was held at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson, Nevada on September 8, 2013. The event was won by German Sebastian Kienle and Australian Melissa Hauschildt. The championship was organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) and was the culmination of the Ironman 70.3 series of events that occurred from August 19, 2012 through August 11, 2013. Athletes, both professional and amateur, earned a spot in the championship race by qualifying in races throughout the 70.3 series.


2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship
This was the final year of the championship event being held in the Las Vegas area. In 2014, the championship race will begin changing locations each year. This is in contrast to having an annual recurring championship in one location as in the past with Las Vegas and Clearwater, Florida. The annual Las Vegas race will remain in place for 2014 but will be renamed the Ironman 70.3 Silverman.


2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification
The 2013 Ironman 70.3 Series featured 61 events that enabled qualification to the 2013 World Championship event. Professional triathletes qualified for the championship race by competing in races during the qualifying period, earning points towards their pro rankings. An athlete’s five highest scoring races were counted toward their pro rankings. The top 50 males and top 35 females in the pro rankings qualified for the championship race. Professional athletes were also eligible for prize purses at each qualifying event, which ranged in total size from $15,000 to $200,000.


2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification
Amateur triathletes could qualify for the championship race by earning a qualifying slot at one of the qualifying events. At qualifying events, slots were allocated to each age group category, male and female, with the number of slots given out based on that category's proportional representation of the overall field. Each age group category would be tentatively allocated one qualifying spot in each qualifying event. Some 70.3 events also served as qualifiers for the full Ironman World Championships in Hawaii.


2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironman 70.3 events
†Also serves as a 2013 Ironman World Championship qualifier. ‡Also serves as a 2013 Ironman World Championship handcycle qualifier


2013 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, Qualification, Qualifying Ironman 70.3 events
The Ironman 70.3 Switzerland race was canceled due to weather. The race was initially changed to a duathlon due to cold temperatures preventing the swim portion from taking place. However, rain in the region caused both a landslide and a falling tree to obstruct the bike course forcing race organizers to cancel the race entirely.


2013 Ironman World Championship
The 2013 Ironman World Championship was a long distance triathlon competition that was held on October 12, 2013 in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The event was won by Belgium's Frederik Van Lierde and Australia's Mirinda Carfrae. It was the 37th edition of the Ironman World Championship, which has been held annually in Hawaii since 1978. The championship is organized by the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC).


2013 Ironman World Championship, Championship results, Women
Carfrae broke Chrissie Wellington's course record of 8:54:02 set in 2009. She also lowered her own marathon course record of 2:52:09 set in 2011.


2013 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
For entry into the 2013 World Championship race, amateur athletes were required to qualify through a performance at an Ironman or selected Ironman 70.3 race. Entry into the championship race could also be obtained through a random allocation lottery or through the Ironman’s charitable eBay auction. The division of athletes was divided into professional, age group, physically challenged, and hand cycle divisions.


2013 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
For professional triathletes, the 2013 championship season marked the third year of a point system that determined which professional triathletes would qualify for the championship race. To qualify, points were earned by competing in WTC sanctioned Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events throughout the qualifying year. For the 2013 championship race that period is September 1, 2012 to August 31, 2013. The top 50 male and top 35 female pros in points at the end of the qualifying year qualified to race in Kona. An athlete's five highest scoring races were counted in the point totals.


2013 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
At least one Ironman race must have been completed and only three Ironman 70.3 races count towards an athlete's overall point total. Prior champions received an automatic entry for the Championship race for a period of five years after their last championship performance provided that they competed in at least one full-distance Ironman race during the qualifying year. Their entry did not count toward the number of available qualifying spots.


2013 Ironman World Championship, Qualification
The Ironman 2013 series consisted of 27 Ironman races plus the 2012 Ironman World Championship which was itself a qualifier for the 2013 Championship.


2013 Ironman World Championship, YWC Sports purchase
In June 2013, World Triathlon Corporation purchased YWC Sports, a private company that organizes triathlons and endurance sport events in Denmark. YWC Sports was contracted by the Challenge Family, a competing brand of WTC's Ironman races, to produce the long distance triathlon races Challenge Copenhagen and Challenge Aarhus. However, Challenge Family CEO Felix Walchshöfer did not wish to have WTC produce a Challenge licensed event and therefore terminated YWC's agreement stating that the sale to WTC constituted a breach of contract. As a result, the Challenge Copenhagen race, which was scheduled to race in August 2013, was rebranded as Ironman Copenhagen and 50 qualifying spots were offered up for the 2013 Ironman World Championships. Challenge Aarhus was replaced by Ironman 70.3 Aarhus and took place in June 2014.


2013 Irwin Tools Night Race
The 2013 Irwin Tools Night Race was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on August 24, 2013, at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. Contested over 500 laps, it was the twenty-fourth race of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Matt Kenseth of Joe Gibbs Racing won the race, his fifth victory of the season, while Kasey Kahne finished second. Juan Pablo Montoya, Brian Vickers, and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.


2013 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report
Denny Hamlin took the pole and led the first 22 laps. After being passed by Kurt Busch, Hamlin would fall back to mid-field. Busch would lead most of the laps until lap 81, when he came down pit road for a loose wheel and was given a pass-through for speeding. Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. shared the lead during the next two stints, before Clint Bowyer passed Earnhardt for the lead on lap 126. Bowyer led until getting spun on lap 176, causing the fourth caution.


2013 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report
Edwards retook the lead, showing the way until being passed by Matt Kenseth on lap 236. After a lap 259 debris caution, Kenseth was caught speeding on pit road and relegated to the back, while Paul Menard stayed out to take the lead. Edwards once again claimed the lead on lap 322.


2013 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report
Kevin Harvick took the lead after the seventh caution on lap 335, but he was quickly passed by Edwards on lap 344. Edwards held the lead through two more cautions, but dropped a cylinder on lap 380 and blew his engine on lap 389. Kenseth held the lead through most of the final 120 laps and held off a final 10-lap charge by Kasey Kahne to score his fifth victory of the season. Juan Pablo Montoya finished third, and Brian Vickers and Joey Logano rounded out the top five.


2013 Irwin Tools Night Race, Report
Eleven caution flags waved during the race, three of which were for debris. Drivers involved in seven, mostly minor, crashes included Ryan Truex, Josh Wise, Clint Bowyer, Tony Raines, Jimmie Johnson, David Reutimann, Aric Almirola, and Jeff Burton. The eleventh caution on lap 448, as Hamlin blew a tire and ran into Ryan Newman, causing a large crash also involving Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex, Jr., Terry Labonte, David Stremme, Casey Mears, David Ragan and Kevin Harvick. After the crash, Harvick stopped for a few moments in Hamlin's pitbox preventing the #11 to access his box. Truex, Jr. suffered a broken wrist after the accident.


2013 Isiolo local elections
Local elections were held in Isiolo County to elect a Governor and County Assembly on 4 March 2013. Under the new constitution, which was passed in a 2010 referendum, the 2013 general elections were the first in which Governors and members of the County Assemblies for the newly created counties were elected. They will also be the first general elections run by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission(IEBC) which has released the official list of candidates.


2013 Isiolo local elections, Gubernatorial election, Prospective candidates
The following are some of the candidates who have made public their intentions to run:


2013 Islamabad hostage crisis
On August 15, 2013, a hostage crisis occurred in Islamabad, Pakistan, in the Blue Area of the city. Malik Muhammed Sikander took one woman and two children hostage, purported to be his wife and children. The event ended after six hours due to the intervention of Zamarud Khan and the shooting of Sikander.


2013 Islamabad hostage crisis, Background
Islamabad had been on high alert for the ten days preceding the event, as intelligence suggested a high likelihood of terrorist activity. The week prior to the crisis, the Quetta mosque attack had taken place, however the police quickly eliminated this as an organized terrorist operation.


2013 Islamabad hostage crisis, Event
On August 15, 2013, Malik Muhammad Sikandar stole a car and eluded several police officers. He eventually drove into the middle of Constitution Avenue. Police on the scene were initially unable to arrest the man. According to Inspector General of Police Sikandar Hayat, the gunman made seven demands during early negotiations, including the imposition of Shariah in the country and safe passage for his family. Some demands were illegal and others beyond the ability of police to provide. The police conducted several rounds of negotiations without result. The incident was televised live over a six-hour period.


2013 Islamabad hostage crisis, Event
Several politicians attempted to negotiate with the hostage-taker, without success. Zamarud Khan was also watching the situation and travelled to the scene where he obtained permission to approach the gunman. Khan approached the family and exchanged a few words with the gunman. While shaking hands with the children, Khan made a sudden attempt to capture the man, but lost his footing. The gunman fired several shots, but Khan escaped injury. Khan rushed towards the children and moved them away from danger. Available police then fired at the gunman's legs, injuring him, and he fell to the ground. He was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment.


2013 Islamic Solidarity Games
The 3rd Islamic Solidarity Games was an international sporting event held in Palembang, Indonesia from 22 September to 1 October 2013. The 2009 event, originally scheduled to take place in Iran, and later re-scheduled for April 2010, was cancelled after a dispute arose between Iran and the Arab countries.


2013 Islamic Solidarity Games, Participating Nations
There are 57 nations participating in 2013 Islamic Solidarity Games.


2013 Islamic Solidarity Games, Sports bikini controversy
The Games faced a controversy over female athletes competing in sports bikinis. Some participating nations demanded that all sportswomen competing in the athletics, beach volleyball and swimming events wear body-covering sporting outfits instead of the usual, functional and official sports bikinis regulated by international rules. In some countries of the Muslim world, sporting suits for women called burqini, which cover the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet, are in use in accordance with Islamic culture. Furthermore, some countries asked the organizers to run the male and female events on separate days. Both regulations were applied in the first edition of the Games held in Saudi Arabia in 2005.


2013 Islamic Solidarity Games, Sports bikini controversy
The organizing committee refused to fully comply with the demands stating that only the countries ruled by Islamic governments among the 44 participants with Muslim population opposed the two-piece sporting outfits standardized in international sports dress code. The organizers ruled that the use of sports bikinis is set optional so that sportswomen may wear religious-based outfits.


2013 Island Games
The XV Island Games (also known as the 2013 NatWest Island Games for sponsorship reasons) were held in Bermuda from 13 to 19 July 2013. Bermuda was selected to host the Games by default after Prince Edward Island withdrew from the International Island Games Association.


2013 Island Games
It was the first time that the games were held outside Europe.


2013 Island Games, Participating islands
22 island entities of the IIGA from Europe, South Atlantic and the Caribbean area competed in these games. Rhodes and Sark declined their invitations to the games.


2013 Island Games, Sports
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport.


2013 Isle of Anglesey County Council election
An election to the Isle of Anglesey County Council was held as part of the 2013 United Kingdom local elections and took place on 2 May 2013. Anglesey was the only Welsh authority voting in 2013, the election having been postponed from 2012 by the Welsh Government, in order to allow an electoral review to take place. The next full council election took place on 4 May 2017.


2013 Isle of Anglesey County Council election, Boundary review
Under The Isle of Anglesey (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2012, thirty seats (a reduction from the previous 40) were created, from eleven (previously 40) electoral divisions, by the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales.


2013 Isle of Anglesey County Council election, Overall results
Turnout for the election was 50.5% of eligible voters. Independent councillors won more seats than any other group, but Plaid Cymru made strong gains, saying they would find it difficult to work with the independent group and hoped to form an alliance with Labour. The island's Returning Officer described democracy on the island as being "invigorated".


2013 Isle of Man TT
The 2013 Isle of Man TT  Races were held between the Saturday 25 May and Friday 7 June 2013 on the 37.73-mile Isle of Man TT Mountain Course in the Isle of Man. The event celebrated the 90th anniversary of the first Sidecar TT with a special parade lap for racing sidecar outfits. The 2013 Isle of Man TT Festival also included the Pre-TT Classic Races on 24, 25 & 27 May 2013 and the Post-TT Races on 8 June 2013 and both events held on the Billown Circuit.


2013 Isle of Man TT
The Blue Riband event of race meeting the Senior TT race was won by John McGuinness and raising his tally of victories to 20 Isle of Man TT wins and also breaking the outright course record in the Superbike TT with a lap at an average speed of 131.671. The event was dominated by Michael Dunlop winning the Superbike TT race, Supersport TT Races 1 & 2, the Superstock TT and the Joey Dunlop TT Championship with 120 points from John McGuinness and Bruce Anstey in third place.


2013 Isle of Man TT
The Sidecar TT race produced a maiden Isle of Man TT wins for the two former Sidecar World Champions with Tim Reeves / Dan Sayle winning Sidecar TT Race 1 and Ben Birchall / Tim Birchall winning Sidecar TT Race 2. The Lightweight TT for 650cc twin-cylinder motor-cycles produced another maiden win for James Hillier and Michael Rutter scored a hattrick or wins in the TT Zero class for electric powered motor-cycles after winning for the third consecutive year.


2013 Isle of Man TT
The Senior TT race  was red-flagged on the first lap after Isle of Man TT newcomer Jonathan Howarth crashed at the bottom of Bray Hill and 10 spectators were injured in the incident.


2013 Isle of Man TT
News was also made when James May completed a lap on a sidecar outfit built entirely from meccano. This was televised as part of his Toy Stories series.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Practice Week
The first part of practice week was dominated by inclement weather with Monday and the Wednesday evening practice run as untimed sessions. The Tuesday session cancelled due to heavy rain showers and the Friday evening was session red-flagged for 50 minutes for the Isle of Man Fire Service to attend a house fire in Kirk Michael village. To provide sufficient practice for competitors the first part of Saturday race day was run as an extended practice session. The first race of the 2013 Isle of Man TT races was the rescheduled Sidecar TT Race 1 and the Superbike TT held over to next day and run on Sunday afternoon for the first time since 2005.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Practice Week
The Japanese competitor Yoshinari Matsushita crashed fatally at Ballacrye Corner near Ballaugh during the Monday evening practice causing the session to be abandoned.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Sidecar TT Race 1 TT final standings
1 June 2013 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Sidecar TT Race 1 TT final standings
Fastest Lap: Tim Reeves/Daniel Sayle – 114.608 mph (19' 45.158 ) on lap 2.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Superbike TT final standings.
2 June 2013 6 Laps (236.38 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Superbike TT final standings.
Fastest Lap and New Overall Course Record: John McGuinness – 131.671 mph (17' 11.572) on lap 6.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Supersport Junior TT Race 1
3 June 2013 4 Laps (150.73 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Supersport Junior TT Race 1
Fastest Lap: Michael Dunlop – 127.525 mph (17' 45.111) on lap 2.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Superstock TT Race final standings.
3 June 2013 4 Laps (150.73 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Superstock TT Race final standings.
Fastest Lap: Michael Dunlop – 131.220 mph (17' 15.114) on lap 4.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 TT Zero Race
5 June 2013 1 Lap (37.73 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 TT Zero Race
Fastest Lap and New Race Record: Michael Rutter – 109.675 mph (20' 38.461) on lap 1.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Supersport Junior TT Race 2
5 June 2013 4 Laps (150.73 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Supersport Junior TT Race 2
Fastest Lap: Michael Dunlop – 128.667 mph (17' 35.659) on lap 2.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Sidecar TT Race 2 TT final standings
5 June 2013 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Sidecar TT Race 2 TT final standings
Fastest Lap: Ben Birchall / Tom Birchall – 114.662 mph (19' 44.598 ) on lap 2.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Lightweight TT 650cc Super-Twin
7 June 2013 3 Laps (113.00 Miles) TT Mountain Course


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Lightweight TT 650cc Super-Twin
Fastest Lap: James Hillier – 115.554 mph (19' 00.168) on lap 3.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Senior TT final standings.
7 June 2013 6 Laps (236.38 Miles) TT Mountain Course.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Race Results, 2013 Senior TT final standings.
Fastest Lap: Bruce Anstey – 131.531 mph (17' 12.671) on lap 6.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
Isle of Man TT winner Michael Dunlop (6) 650cc Kawasaki leads away the first Lightweight TT Practice Session 25 May 2013


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT — Start of the Newcomers Speed Control with Isle of Man TT winners John McGuinness (left) and Bruce Anstey (right) 25 May 2013


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT — Rob Barber (29) & Josh Brookes (24) Wednesday evening practice session TT Grandstand 29 May 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT — Guy Martin (4) 1000cc Suzuki Thursday evening practice session Parliament Square, Ramsey 30 May 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT Sidecar Race 1 — Lap 3 Tim Reeves/Dan Sayle (3) & Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance (1) Parliament Square, Ramsey 1 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT Saturday afternoon practice — Bruce Anstey (5), James Hillier (1) & Gary Johnson (7); Parliament Square, Ramsey 1 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT Superbike Race Lap 6 – Michael Dunlop (6) 1000cc Honda Parliament Square, Ramsey 2 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT Superbike Race Lap 4 – John McGuinness (3), Michael Dunlop (6) & Cameron Donald (2) Parliament Square, Ramsey 2 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
Supersport TT Race 1 Lap 4 – Michael Dunlop (6), Bruce Anstey (5), John McGuinness (3) & James Hillier (1) Parliament Square, Ramsey 3 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT  TT Zero – Mark Miller(2) MotoCzysz E1pc Practice Session – Parliament Square, Ramsey 3 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
Superstock TT – Michael Dunlop (6) Honda Parliament Square, Ramsey 3 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
Sidecar TT Race 2 — Competitors line-up to start the race. TT Grandstand 5 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT Supersport TT Race 2 Michael Dunlop (6), 600cc Honda TT Grandstand 5 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Man TT, Gallery
2013 Isle of Man TT John McGuinness on the start-line of the Senior TT Race 7 June 2013.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election
The 2013 Isle of Wight Council election was held on 2 May 2013 to elect all 40 members for a four-year term to the Isle of Wight Council, a unitary authority which governs the Isle of Wight. Going into the election, the Conservative Party was looking to gain a third term in power after first being elected to overall control in 2005, but in one of the shock results of the wider local elections being held in the country, the Conservatives lost overall control of the council, having been reduced to 15 seats, 6 short of a majority of 21. The 'Island Independents', a mutually supporting group of candidates and councillors running as independents, gained the same number of seats, whilst other independents, UKIP, Labour, and a Liberal Democrat made up the remainder.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election
Emblematic of the election, the Conservative leader of the council, David Pugh, lost his own seat to an Island Independent. The popular perception of the reasons for the Conservative losses was, in the words of OnTheWight, 'It's widely thought that the way they implemented the financial cuts turned the Island against them. Particularly unpopular was the wholesale closing of the Tourist Information centres and public toilets.' With neither the Conservatives or the Island Independents gaining a majority outright, control of the authority was initially in doubt, but on 8 May the Island Independents announced the five non-aligned independents would be joining their group.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Background
Leading into the 2005 council election, the Liberal Democrats and its predecessors had been in power on the island since 1981,  albeit since 2001 in coalition with a group of independents. However, public opposition to a school closure program by the council led to the rout of the Liberal Democrats, and the election of the Conservatives to take over.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Background
Education remained a major issue as the Conservatives under Council Leader David Pugh sought re-election in 2009, with plans to redress problems caused by the island's unusual three-tier education structure having elicited further controversy – and the resignation of several Conservative councillors in protest – and a sluggish economy with unemployment higher than the average of South East England playing against the party as well. In the end, the Conservatives won re-election, but held only 24 seats, a drop of 9 since the last election, although a boundary review had led to the abolition of 8 seats. Behind them, independents made up the next largest contingent on the council, winning 10 seats, whilst the Liberal Democrats failed to make headway.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
As the 2013 campaign started, education remained a top issue. Though the three-tier system had been abolished in favour of two tiers, three of the island's six secondary schools were judged 'inadequate' by Ofsted. Simon Perry, editor of OnTheWight, remarked to the BBC that education was the single biggest priority for voters. In addition, the council agreed to transfer some of its education powers to Hampshire County Council, despite not being under its jurisdiction; and problems over education were further amplified for the Conservatives when the chief executive of the council, Steve Benyon, departed controversially after the Ofsted inspections.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
Beyond this local issue was the impact of national politics: the Conservatives were into their third year of governing the United Kingdom in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, implementing unpopular austerity measures and fending off challenges from Labour on the left and UKIP on the right. Cuts to local government forced the council to implement their own cost-saving measures, which included closing public toilets and tourist information centres.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
The Conservatives campaigned on working with the private sector to improve the local economy, and minimising future council tax rises. The Island Independents – a group of mutually-supporting candidates and councillors standing as independents – pledged to create a more transparent administration that worked more with islanders on decision-making. Their campaign was launched by former independent MP Martin Bell.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
Labour focused its campaign on improving facilities for disabled people, including trying to repair the council's relationship with the disabled-orientated Riverside Centre, and working to prevent schools on the island from becoming academies; the Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, promised to invest more into children's services and to start an affordable housing program. UKIP, trying to enter the council for the first time, pledged to re-open public toilets and tourist information centres, campaign for a grammar school, protect the Frank James Hospital, and allow their councillors to vote without a party whip.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
The election in the Shanklin South ward, held by Pugh, soon became the most high-profile battle of the campaign. Facing Pugh was Richard Priest, manager of the Riverside Centre and a town councillor, standing as an Island Independent. Fearful of splitting the anti-Pugh vote and sensing Priest had the best chance of defeating Pugh, Labour and UKIP decided not to field candidates in the ward. Meanwhile, the continuing decline of the Liberal Democrats on the island became more evident during the campaign.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
Aside from their local problems since their last stint in power, the national party had been battered by its involvement in government with the Conservatives. Bob Blezzard, a high-profile Liberal Democrat on the island, resigned from the party in 2012 and publicly denounced his national party leader, Nick Clegg, before announcing he would stand as an independent candidate to the council for Sandown North. Former council leader, Shirley Smart, likewise decided to resign from the party and stand as an independent in Newport South. Neither aligned themselves with the Island Independents.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Campaign
In the end, the Liberal Democrats were only able to field seven candidates, with group leader Reg Barry saying it was a 'shame' that Blezzard and Smart, among others, 'have turned their back'. The UKIP campaign ran into some difficulty when they were accused by the Conservatives of falsifying signatures on the electoral nomination forms of their candidate for Newport North – the police were unable to give judgement on the complaint before the election.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Results
With all ward results declared on the day after the election, the Conservatives had lost their majority on the council. After winning 24 seats in 2009, with a majority of 4, the party ended up with 15 seats, 6 short of overall control – a net loss of 9 seats. The Island Independents, on the other hand, won 15 seats as well. UKIP gained representation on the council for the first time, winning 2 seats, whilst Labour reclaimed Lake North, lost in 2009.


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Results
The Liberal Democrats achieved their worst result on the island since the party's formation, holding onto only Reg Barry's seat. Blezzard and Smart, however, were elected as independents, as were another three candidates who were also not aligned with the Island Independents. The most notable result though, was Pugh's defeat to Priest by only 10 votes. Without a seat on the council, Pugh lost its leadership, and that of the Conservative group – on 7 May, Cllr Dave Stewart was chosen to replace Pugh as leader of the group. After his election defeat, Pugh remarked 'Clearly I'm disappointed. It's been a privilege to serve the island.'


2013 Isle of Wight Council election, Results
With neither the Conservatives or the Island Independents winning a majority outright, both sides vied to win the support of other councillors to form their own administration. On 8 May, the Island Independents announced that the five other independents had joined their group. The next election to the council was held in May 2017 and led to the Conservatives regaining control of the council.


2013 Israeli Basketball League Cup
The 2013 Israeli Basketball League Cup is the 8th edition of the Israeli Basketball League Cup pre-season tournament. It plays between October 6 and October 10 at Bet Maccabi in Rishon LeZion and NOKIA Arena in Tel Aviv.


2013 Israeli Basketball League Cup, Participants
As the format states, the top eight teams on the 2012–13 Israeli Super League qualified for the tournament. However, league champions Maccabi Haifa were at the time in the United States competing against clubs of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and were therefore replaced by ninth placed team Hapoel Holon.


2013 Israeli Beach Soccer League
The 2013 Israeli Beach Soccer League was a national beach soccer league that took place between 31 May and 26 July 2013, in Netanya, Israel.


2013 Israeli Beach Soccer League, Group stage
All kickoff times are of local time in Netanya, Israel (UTC+02:00).


2013 Israeli Labor Party leadership election
As a result of the party failing to enter the government after a poor performance in the legislative election in the previous January, a leadership election for the Israeli Labor Party was held on 22 November 2013.


2013 Israeli Labor Party leadership election, Results
The only round of voting was held on November 22:


2013 Israeli Labor Party leadership election, Results
According to Ynetnews, turnout of voting Labor Party members was a relatively low 52.7%. Herzog won a majority of the votes cast and was thus elected leader of the party.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections
Elections for the positions of Chief Rabbis of Israel were held at the Leonardo Hotel in Jerusalem on 24 July 2013. The elections were to elect the chief rabbis for the Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Background
The position of chief rabbi is a position that places the winning candidate at the head of the state religious infrastructure. This includes kosher certification, all Jewish marriages and deaths in Israel. They also have significant influence over the question of who is a Jew.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Background
The position is for a 10-year term, with incumbents unable to run for reelection. As such the incumbents Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar were unable to be candidates.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Background
The elections were conducted at the Leonardo Hotel, with 150 eligible voters. These were made up by 80 rabbis representing the religious councils, and 70 other people representing the government, Knesset and local authorities. There was a push to include 40 women in this group, but at the election there was only 10 women voting.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Candidates
There were a number of candidates for each position. This represented a divide between the ultra Orthodox and Zionist communities.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Candidates
There were 4 sons of former chief rabbis standing for elections, David Lau son of Yisrael Meir, Yaakov Shapira son of Avraham, Yitzhak Yosef son of Ovadia and Shmuel Eliyahu son of Mordechai. There was a legal effort to have Eliyahu eliminated from the elections due to racist and extremist views. Yehuda Deri, who is the brother of minister Aryeh and related to former Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar was also a candidate.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Candidates
The other major candidates were David Stav who is the head of the Tzohar organization and a voice to fundamentally restructure the Rabbinate, and Zion Boaron.


2013 Israeli chief rabbi elections, Results
Only 147 of the 150 eligible voters turned up to vote. David Lau and Yitzchak Yosef were the successful candidates, both getting 68 votes after the non Haredi vote was split.


2013 Israeli legislative election
Early elections for the nineteenth Knesset were held in Israel on 22 January 2013. Public debate over the Tal Law had nearly led to early elections in 2012, but they were aborted at the last moment after Kadima briefly joined the government. The elections were later called in early October 2012 after failure to agree on the budget for the 2013 fiscal year.


2013 Israeli legislative election
The elections saw the Likud Yisrael Beiteinu alliance emerge as the largest faction in the Knesset, winning 31 of the 120 seats. Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu formed the country's thirty-third government after establishing a coalition with Yesh Atid, the Jewish Home, and Hatnua, which between them held 68 seats.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background
Following the 2009 elections, in which right-wing and religious parties won the majority (65 out of 120, or 54%) of the seats, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu established a government including right-wing parties Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu, the ultra-orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism, the religious Zionist Jewish Home, and the centre-left Labor Party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background
Although there were disagreements between the coalition parties on issues of national security and the peace process, and separation of church and state, the government was relatively stable and was able to overcome several political and national security related crises with no real threat from the opposition. The stability of the coalition government increased after a split in the Labor Party when five of its members led by Ehud Barak left to establish the Independence Party. Whilst the Labor Party subsequently left the coalition, Independence remained within it, allowing the government to maintain a majority of 66 of the 120 seats in the Knesset.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background
Prime Minister Netanyahu's initial popularity remained stable, as he managed to overcome various events that could have endangered the stability of his government—such as the political speech at the Bar-Ilan University at the beginning of his term in which he endorsed the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel for the first time, the government's agreement to freeze construction in the West Bank, in light of the common belief of the Israeli public that the diplomatic relations between the United States and Israel had worsened during Netanyahu's term, the 2010 Gaza flotilla incident and its implications, the outbreak of the Mount Carmel forest fire in December 2010 and the various government oversights which were attributed to this blunder, as well as the growing debate within the Israeli public about a pre-emptive attack on Iran.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background
However, a decline in the popularity of Netanyahu and his government occurred in summer 2011 following the protests about social justice. Nevertheless, the decline passed quickly after Netanyahu's speech at the General debate of the sixty-sixth session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2011 following the Palestinian diplomatic campaign to gain full membership of the United Nations, and following cross-border attacks in the south of the country in August 2011. In addition, Netanyahu's popularity was increased after the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange was approved and Shalit was released. These events led to the highest level of public support Netanyahu had received since the start of his term in office.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background
As a result of the high levels of support for the government, Netanyahu announced that early primaries would be held in the Likud party, a move which slightly surprised the Israeli political establishment and led to speculations about the possibility that Netanyahu would announce early general elections, due to his high approval ratings.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background
Netanyahu, together with Mahmoud Abbas, Hillary Clinton and George J. Mitchell at the start of the direct talks on 2 September 2010.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background, Tal Law controversy and implications
Prior to the decision to dissolve the Knesset, attempts to amend the Tal Law, which allows Haredi to indefinitely defer national service, by Yisrael Beiteinu and Kadima were struck down by the High Court of Justice. It was also supported by the Independence party, but failed after Shas appealed an expedited process pass through the Ministerial Committee on Legislative Affairs, which meant it would have to be rediscussed and could not pass. The dissolution of parliament would force an automatic extension of the law, due to expire on 1 August, for another six to eight months.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background, Tal Law controversy and implications
Netanyahu said a new law should "make the burden [of serving in the IDF or civilian service] more equal and fair". Yisrael Beiteinu said the dissolution should have been postponed so that its proposed Equal National Service for All bill could be voted upon. Similarly, Kadima chairman Shaul Mofaz told the "Suckers Camp" (מאהל הפראיירים) protesters outside Likud's political convention that this was an "historic opportunity to clean the moral stain that is the Tal Law". He also said that the motion to dissolve the legislature at this state was a "stinky political trick" by Netanyahu, Yacimovich, and the Haredi parties. Dalia Itzik of Kadima also reiterated calls to have a new law before the election.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background, Tal Law controversy and implications
On 7 May the Knesset voted on a series of bills relating to its dissolution and holding the election on 4 September, which passed; however, in the early morning of 8 May, a few hours before the Knesset was expected to approve the bill which would bring the 18th Knesset's term to its end, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement with the Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz to join the current government, thus canceling the early election supposed to be held in September.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Background, Tal Law controversy and implications
On 17 July, after the failure of parties to reach a compromise on the issue, Kadima voted to pull out of the coalition. The coalition did, however, still have a majority of seats even without Kadima. Nevertheless, the reduced coalition which was now divided between nationalist groups such as Yisrael Beiteinu and Haredi groups such as Shas, cast doubts regarding the coalition's ability to pass a budget for 2013 on the date prescribed by law. This situation, of the inability to pass the budget, revived the possibility that early elections might be held – a possibility which Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed his support of during a special speech he delivered from his public office on 9 October.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Parliament factions
The table below lists the parliamentary factions represented in the 18th Knesset.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Date
Since the term of the 17th Knesset ended prematurely, the term of the 18th Knesset is four full years plus eight more months, starting from the month of its election (February 2009). The expected date for a regular election was to be on 22 October 2013, but an early election was announced.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Date
Likud's coalition chairman MK Ze'ev Elkin wanted the election to be scheduled for 4 September 2012. He got support for the motion from Yisrael Beiteinu, Shas and Labor; however, Kadima wanted the election 16 September. Meretz, Labor and Elkin submitted different motions for dissolution. Netanyahu told the Likud party on 7 May that he would like an early election saying that he does not "want there to be a year-and-a-half of political instability accompanied by blackmail and populism. I'd prefer a short electoral campaign of four months that will ensure political stability.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Date
I would have been very happy if we could have completed the term, which was also my goal, but it is no secret that with the start of the government's fourth year, the coalition is fraying somewhat. The achievements of this government are a result of a joint vision and a partnership that was possible due to political stability. We have not had such a stable government in decades. We are proposing 4 September, after which, God and voters willing, we will receive a mandate."


2013 Israeli legislative election, Date
The Knesset House Committee's approval on 7 May for the expedition of the bill to dissolve the 18th Knesset allowing for plenum vote. The committee bill was approved by a vote of 13 to four. Though Shas voted against the measure, a party member said that "Shas' unambiguous stance is to support the early elections and the legislation. [ Shas MKs] abstained due to confusion. We support the bill."


2013 Israeli legislative election, Date
On 9 October, Netanyahu made a televised address in which he reacted to the inability to pass a budget for the next fiscal year by the deadline of 31 December. He said: "I have decided that it is in Israel's better interest to go to elections now and as quickly as possible. For Israel, it is preferable to have as short a campaign as possible, one of three months over one that would last in practice an entire year and damage Israel's economy."


2013 Israeli legislative election, Date
Reactions to the announcement included the Labor Party's Shelley Yachimovich who said that despite lagging in opinion polls to Likud there was a "reasonable probability" of winning and that "the public today understands that security is not just on the borders, but is also job and income security and health and education security". Kadima's Shaul Mofaz told Channel 10: "I think the decision for early elections is a day of hope for the citizens of Israel. It is an opportunity to replace the bad Netanyahu government that has isolated Israel politically over the past four years, damaged Israel's deterrence, and deteriorated the middle class."


2013 Israeli legislative election, Surplus-vote agreements
Two parties can make an agreement so that the sum of both parties' surplus votes are combined, and if the combined surplus votes amounts to an extra seat, then the extra seat goes to the party with the larger number of surplus votes. Several agreements were signed by parties prior to the election:


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign
The decision to have an early election was read as influential over the issue of an attack on Iran. A victory for Likud could bolster the case for an armed strike; however, it was also risky during an election. It would, however, be an election issue.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign
Likud's Netanyahu said that in a new government he would seek to have as large and stable a governing coalition as possible in order to "deal with the great challenges that we will face". He also said that his other priority would be to tackle the still high levels of crime. "We know that there has been a reduction of 30% in the incidence of murder, but these cases are brutal and underline our acknowledged need to battle these occurrences full force." He said that Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino were tasked with compiling a report into the 37 murders in 2012, in comparison to 52 in 2011, and said he was confident in curbing the trend.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign
Campaign issues, particularly in regards to attacking the Netanyahu government, are expected to be Netanyahu's relationship with U.S. President Barack Obama over Israel-Iran relations in light of the controversy over the Iranian nuclear programme, the stalling of the Israel-Palestinian peace process, the 2011 Israeli social justice protests and the aforementioned Tal law.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu present common list
On 25 October 2012, Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman announced that Yisrael Beiteinu and Likud would present a common list (without merging) in the 2013 general elections. "A joining of forces will give us the strength to defend Israel from military threats, and the strength to spearhead social and economic changes in the country", Netanyahu said. "In view of the challenges we're facing, we need responsibility on a national level ... We're providing a true alternative, and an opportunity for the citizens to stabilize leadership and government", Lieberman said.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Operation Pillar of Defense
In November 2012, following Gaza militants rocket and mortar fire at Israeli towns and villages and attacks committed against Israeli soldiers stationed near the border with the Gaza Strip, the Israeli political leadership ordered the IDF to launch Operation Pillar of Defense, during which the IAF conducted a series of air strikes against militant targets of the Hamas and against the organization's leaders, including the head of the organization's military wing Ahmed Jabari, who was assassinated while he was driving his car in Gaza City. As a result, Hamas responded by firing rockets and mortars at various localities in Israel, especially in the southern Israel region, but also in addition, for the first time in the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, managed to shoot rockets at Israel's biggest metropolitan area in the central region of Israel.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Operation Pillar of Defense
The operation in the Gaza Strip gained the support of most parties, including various opposition parties. However, some parties, including Meretz, Hadash, and all Israeli Arab parties, expressed their strong opposition to the operation. Some left-wing figures stated that the operation was actually an "Election War" aimed at putting aside socio-economic issues and replacing them with a defense agenda, and claimed that the operation would not help Israel in the long term.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Operation Pillar of Defense
After the Israeli government signed the ceasefire agreement with Hamas, a number of figures in the Israeli right-wing political spectrum, including Naftali Bennett and Aryeh Eldad, criticized the government's decision. During the operation and the shelling of southern Israel, various parties declared that they would suspend their political campaign until the operation would end—among them the Likud Party and the opposition parties Kadima and the Labor party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Independence withdrawal
On 26 November, Independence leader Ehud Barak announced that he would retire from politics after the next Minister of Defense was appointed, and that the party's political campaign was suspended. Subsequently, Shalom Simhon became the chairman of the party, but on 6 December, he announced that he was retiring from politics and that Independence was pulling out of the elections.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Palestinian statehood recognition
In the General Assembly of the United Nations held on 29 November 2012, the 67th session adopted a resolution that upgraded Palestine to non-member observer state status at the United Nations. The new status equates Palestine's with that of the Holy See. In response, the inner cabinet approved the building of housing units in area E1, connecting Jerusalem and Ma'aleh Adumim.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Disqualification petitions
The ultra-orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism had men-only party lists, based on their belief that women in the Knesset would violate modesty laws. Because of this, the Central Elections Committee received petitions in December 2012 to disqualify both parties for being discriminatory. Likewise, the Otzma LeYisrael party, headed by Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari, has come under scrutiny due to its alleged denial of Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state. On 20 December, the Committee declared it would not ban any of those parties.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Campaign, Disqualification petitions
On 19 December, the Committee voted to disqualify the Israeli Arab MK Haneen Zoabi from being re-elected on grounds of "supporting terrorism and rejecting Israel as a Jewish and democratic state". However, the ban was later overturned by the Supreme Court.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties
The National Election Commission announced that 34 parties had filed to run, and the election is expected to cost 250 million shekels.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties
The parties listed below are ordered by the number of seats each of these parties eventually received in the 2013 Israeli legislative elections:


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
In early December 2011, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initially announced that early primaries would be held for the leadership of the Likud Party – this announcement was later supported and approved by the Likud's Central Committee later that month. The date of the Likud primaries was set for 31 January 2012. Netanyahu's main political opponent in the Likud party, Silvan Shalom, was surprised by the move and even declared it to be illegal, but eventually announced that he would not be running against Netanyahu for the leadership of the party, thus leaving Moshe Feiglin as Netanyahu's sole competitor.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
During the election day Netanyahu repeatedly attempted to spur the Likud members to come to the polls and vote, nevertheless the turnout remained low. As a result, and due to various many failures at the opening of polling stations across Israel, the voting time was extended by two hours in some places. Nevertheless, at the end of the day the voter turnout was 50% of the total eligible voters. Despite Netanyahu's fears of a low voter turnout, the vast majority of voters supported him, while Moshe Feiglin gained relatively low support.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
In early May, Netanyahu's attempts to head the Likud central committee were dealt blow as party members called for a secret ballot, which was seen as an hindrance to him in beating out Danny Danon. Popular Communications and Welfare & Social Services Minister and Likud MK Moshe Kahlon declared he will not contest the upcoming election. The decision was considered surprising, with Likud officials speculating that Kahlon was passed over by Netanyahu for the post of Minister of Finance.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
On 25 October 2012, Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister and Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman announced the unification of their two parties which would run as a single bloc for the upcoming election. The new party will be called Likud Beiteinu ("The Likud Is Our Home"), with Netanyahu number one on the list followed by Lieberman as number two.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
The results of the Likud primaries indicated the absence of prominent Likud members currently serving as ministers from the top positions in the new Likud list (namely, Benny Begin, Michael Eitan, Dan Meridor and Avi Dichter), and on the other hand the entry of two other politicians who were positioned in top positions in the new Likud list - Tzachi Hanegbi (who left the Kadima party and joined the Likud party), and Moshe Feiglin, who is considered a political hardliner with a unique political perspective that emphasizes policies that reflect Israel's Jewish identity.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Likud Yisrael Beiteinu
On 14 December Avigdor Lieberman resigned as the Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister and as Deputy Prime Minister following an indictment for fraud.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Yesh Atid
During the term of the Israeli 32nd government speculation arose concerning the possibility that Israeli journalist and television personality Lapid would end his career in journalism and begin a career in Israeli politics. Initially, Lapid dismissed these reports and speculations.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Yesh Atid
Due to the ethical conflict between Lapid's functioning as a journalist and his political aspirations, Lapid informed Channel 2's CEO that he would resign six months before entering politics. Lapid's commitment did not stop the Knesset legislation proceedings aimed at preventing the influx of Israeli journalists running for a position in the Knesset during their first year after they ended their journalist careers.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Yesh Atid
Despite Lapid's denials about going into politics and in light of his obligations to end his journalism career long before that, Lapid officially announced in early January 2012 that he was leaving his journalism career in order to enter politics and that he would lead a new party. Lapid continued to write his weekly column in Yediot Aharonot until the elections were officially announced.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Yesh Atid
Lapid ultimately decided to name his party Yesh Atid. His father's (Tommy Lapid) secular movement party Shinui used the election symbol 'yesh'. The party will have to submit a list of 100 founders and will be capped at raising 13.5 million shekels during this election cycle.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Labor Party
At the start of 2011, Labor leader Ehud Barak began to face dissent from his party over its presence in the coalition. On 17 January 2011, disillusionment with Barak, over his support for coalition policies, especially regarding the peace process, led to his resignation from the Labor Party with four other Knesset members to establish a new "centrist, Zionist and democratic" party named Independence. Following this move, all Labor Party government ministers resigned.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Labor Party
Splitting the Labour Party enabled Barak to keep a faction of Labour MKs loyal to him within Netanyahu's coalition, preventing the departure of all 13 Labour MKs from the coalition. Due to the split, the party remained without a chairman for a while and was even regarded in the public and the media as a party in demise. However, Barak's departure led to increased interest in the party, particularly since the remaining members began campaigning to win the position of party chairman.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Labor Party
In the first round of voting, which was held on 12 September 2011, MK Shelly Yacimovich managed to get first position, and was followed, in a low margin, by Amir Peretz. In the third and fourth places were Isaac Herzog and Amram Mitzna. Since no candidate topped the 40% threshold required, a second round was held a week later on 21 September 2011, in which Yachimovich was able to beat Peretz in a gap of about 10%.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Labor Party
Yachimovich's victory, which placed the emphasis of the party on social values rather than issues of national security, brought a renewed interest in the party following the 2011 social protest and as a result, many polls predicted that the party might win nearly 20 seats, which would make the party become the second largest party after Likud on the account of Kadima. Down the road, and especially after Yair Lapid declared that he would enter politics, Yachimovich's popularity and the popularity of the party were slightly moderated. In January 2012 the party got a lot of media attention after Noam Shalit (father of Gilad Shalit) and former head of the Unit of International Crime Investigations Moshe Mizrahi both announced that they are joining the party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, The Jewish Home
The Jewish Home and the National Union (an alliance of four parties – Tkuma, Hatikva, Eretz Yisrael Shelanu, and Moledet) began preparing for the possibility of running in a joint list for the 2013 elections during the term of the 18th Knesset. While negotiations were successful in principle and the two parties reached consensus, disagreements arose regarding the selection of candidates for the Knesset, as The Jewish Home supported the idea of running open primaries while The National Union opposed it.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, The Jewish Home
In September 2012, Ya'akov Katz (Moledet) signed an agreement with Jewish Home leadership candidate Naftali Bennett to form a joint list for the elections. On 12 October 2012, Michael Ben-Ari (Eretz Yisrael Shelanu) announced that due to not being placed in realistic spots, he and Aryeh Eldad (Hatikva) would be running in a separate pro-Land-of-Israel alliance, called Otzma LeYisrael. Meanwhile, Tkuma decided to run together with the Jewish Home. As part of the agreement, it was established that Naftali Bennett would serve as the alliance's chairman while Uri Ariel would be in the second position of the list and that after the elections both parties would merge into a single party. Uri Bank and his Moledet party also joined.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, The Jewish Home
The primaries were held on 6 November 2012 for the position of the party's chairman. Naftali Bennett was elected as the chairman with 67.1% of the votes. Zevulun Orlev, who was second with 32.7% of the votes, declared that he would end his political career following his defeat.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Shas
After Aryeh Deri announced his return to politics, and following a series of highly publicised events that led to an increase in the tensions between the Haredi public and the non-Haredi public, Shas's popularity began to falter according to most polls. As a result, Shas chairman Eli Yishai requested that Aryeh Deri join the party instead of establishing an independent party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Shas
Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef offered Aryeh Deri the 3rd position on the party list, but Deri rejected it at first and was believed to want to lead the party, start his own party (which according to polls might win as many as 7 seats), or not participate in the election at all. On 16 October a compromise was reached: Shas would not have a formal chairman, but would instead be jointly led by Deri, Yishai, and Housing and Construction Minister Ariel Atias. The direction of the election campaign is in debate, with reports suggesting that Yishai wishes to focus on fighting illegal immigration, and Deri favoring focusing on social justice issues while avoiding mentions of Shas's treatment of Sudanese refugees in Israel.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, United Torah Judaism
United Torah Judaism is an alliance of two Haredi parties, the Hasidic Agudat Israel party and the Lithuanian Degel HaTorah party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, United Torah Judaism
In 2012, a split occurred among the Lithuanian Haredi public, as a group within the Degel HaTorah party which regards itself as the successor of Rabbi Elazar Shach and affiliated with Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, felt that it is not represented by the party. After it was announced that early elections would be held, a group of people associated with Rabbi Auerbach registered a new party under the name Netzah. After Menachem Carmel, who is affiliated with this group, did not win the third position in the United Torah Judaism list, it was officially announced that the "Netzah" would be running in the 2013 Israeli legislative election.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Hatnua
Since she lost the primaries for the leadership of the Kadima party and resigned from the Knesset, many reports spread in the Israeli media of Tzipi Livni's possible return to politics as the head of a new party of her own. Those reports eventually turned out to be true on 27 November, when the logo for her new party titled "Hatnua - headed by Tzipi Livni" was initially published. At a press conference held during the same day, Livni officially announced the establishment of the Hatnua party which would be headed by her and which would participate in the upcoming elections. "Hatnua" (התנועה) means "The Movement" in Hebrew.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Hatnua
Immediately after the establishment of Hatnua party, seven Knesset members from the Kadima (Meir Shitrit, Yoel Hasson, Shlomo Molla, Robert Tiviaev, Majalli Wahabi, Rachel Adato and Orit Zuaretz) announced that they have left the Kadima party and joined Livni's party. On 1 December, it was announced that the Former Labor chairman Amram Mitzna joined Livni's party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Meretz
Following the party's failure in the 2009 legislative elections, some of the party members called for the resignation of the party chairman Chaim Oron and to give way for Zehava Gal-On. Haim Oron indeed left the Knesset and later left the chairmanship of the party. As a result, MKs Zehava Gal-On, Ilan Gilon, and youth activist Ori Ophir began campaigning to win the position of the party chairman.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Meretz
The primaries were held on 7 February 2012 for the position of the party's chairman. Zehava Gal-On was elected as the chairman with 60.6% of the votes. Ilan Gilon was second with 36.6% of the votes, and Uri Ofir was third with 2.8% of the votes.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Meretz
Primaries were held on 11 November 2012 for the party list for the upcoming elections. The party list is as follows (in order): Zehava Gal-On, Ilan Gilon, Nitzan Horowitz, Michal Rozin, Issawi Frej, Tamar Zandberg, Avshalom Vilan, Mossi Raz, Yifat Solel and Uri Zaki.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Meretz
Haaretz endorsed Meretz for the 2013 election, and gave honorable mention to Tzipi Livni's Hatnua.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, United Arab List–Ta'al
United Arab List–Ta'al is an alliance of the two Arab parties United Arab List (Ra'am) and Ta'al which was first formed prior to the 2006 Israeli legislative elections. The party list is as follows (in order): Ibrahim Sarsur (party chairman), Ahmed Tibi, Masud Ghnaim, Taleb Abu Arar, Taleb el-Sana, Muhammad Cnaan.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Hadash
Primaries were held on 10 November 2012 for the party list for the upcoming elections. The party list is as follows (in order): Mohammad Barakeh (party chairman), Hana Sweid, Dov Khenin, Afu Agbaria, Nabila Espanioly, and Ayman Odeh.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Hadash
The party delegates also voted to decline the proposal to reserve a certain number of seats in the list for female representatives (79% were against this proposal).


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Balad
The party list is as follows (in order): Jamal Zahalka (party chairman), Haneen Zoabi, Basel Ghattas, Juma Azbargh, and Abed Fukra. In December 2012, it was announced that the Central Elections Committee and a panel of Supreme Court judges would hold discussions on whether to disqualify Haneen Zoabi, as well as the Balad party, from the 2013 election.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Balad
The request for her disqualification, submitted by MK Ofir Akunis (Likud) and which obtained the necessary number of signatures, stated that, "throughout her years in the Knesset, Zoabi has constantly undermined the State of Israel and has openly incited against the government, its institutions, and IDF soldiers". The request further alleged that Zoabi rejects Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, which makes Knesset candidates eligible for disqualification. Zoabi called the sponsors of the request fascists and said that "for whoever does not want citizens to have free elections, I am one of many targets ..." After hearing the case, the Central Elections Committee disqualified Zoabi in a 19-9 vote. The Israeli Supreme Court unanimously overturned the disqualification.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Kadima
Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement about having early primaries in the Likud started a debate among the Kadima party members over when to hold leadership elections for their party. Following increasing pressure to hold the election, party leader Tzipi Livni announced that the election for the leadership of Kadima would be held on 27 March 2012. In addition to Livni, party members Shaul Mofaz and Avi Dichter announced their intention to run for chairman position of the party.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Kadima
Mofaz won the election 62.3% to 37.7% with a turnout of approximately 40%. Livni later resigned from her seat in Knesset complaining that Israel was sitting "on a volcano. The international clock is ticking and the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state is in danger. For years, Israeli leaders have been burying their heads in the sand, occupying themselves with political exercises and spin and in that time the threat to Israel has only grown."


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Otzma LeYisrael
Following the negotiations between the National Union alliance and The Jewish Home party, MK Michael Ben-Ari, along with Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir (all Eretz Yisrael Shelanu members), announced that they do not plan to stay in such an alliance, and they would form an independent party. MK Aryeh Eldad from the Hatikva party decided also not to take part in the alliance.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Otzma LeYisrael
On 13 November 2012, they announced that they formed a new joint list called Otzma LeYisrael.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Am Shalem
Rabbi Haim Amsalem was elected to the Knesset as a Shas member during the 17th and 18th legislative elections, as the representative of Rabbi Meir Mazoz, the head of the Kisseh Rachamim yeshiva. During the 18th Knesset, Amsalem began to publicly hold controversial positions on key issues such as conversions to Judaism (he would not require a pledge to follow Torah laws), the enforcement of Haredi public integration in the work force, the status of women in Israel, etc.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Am Shalem
His positions caused a rift between him and the Shas party, which eventually led the Council of Torah Sages (מועצת חכמי התורה) to call for his resignation, and lead to complaints against him from public Haredi bodies. On the other hand, in 2011, he received the Knight of Quality Government Award on behalf of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Participating parties, Am Shalem
After Amsalem quit the Shas party, he established a new political movement called "Am Shalem" (a play of words on his last name), and announced that it would take part in the election.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Conduct
Election day was a public holiday. With few exceptions, voting centres were scheduled to be open from 7:00 until 22:00, whilst in communities with a population of less than 350, as well as in hospitals, prisons and detention centres, voting hours might start later and end earlier. Voters who reside more than 20 kilometres from voting centres were eligible for free transport vouchers from the day before the election with the return ticket valid until the next day. As of 11:00, 11.4% of voters had voted, an increase on the previous two elections.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Conduct
A total of 5,656,705 people were eligible to vote in the 10,132 polling stations in Israel and 96 overseas. The cost of the election was estimated to be around 1.5–2 billion NIS, with around 180 million NIS spent on campaigning, of which 59.4 million was spent by the Likud Yisrael Beiteinu alliance.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Government formation
After the election, Netanyahu, the previous prime minister and leader of the largest bloc, announced that he wished to form "as broad a coalition as possible" and that he was willing to work with Yesh Atid. Labour chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich said she had made contacts with the aim of forming a centre-left coalition excluding Likud Yisrael Beitenu. Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid, announced that he would not join a coalition aimed at preventing Netanyahu from forming a new government. He also said that he would only join a government committed to reviving the peace process and to reforming the Tal Law.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Government formation
Several days after the election, domestic media reported that Netanyahu's former chief of staff Natan Eshel would be involved in the negotiations. This move was criticised since Eshel had been involved in a sexual harassment scandal the year before, which resulted in him being banned from public service. Yesh Atid announced that it would not meet with Eshel under any circumstances.


2013 Israeli legislative election, Government formation
In consultation meetings with President Shimon Peres, six parties representing 82 MKs (Likud Yisrael Beiteinu, Yesh Atid, The Jewish Home, Shas, United Torah Judaism, and Kadima) recommended that Netanyahu be asked to form a government, whilst the Labor Party, Hatnua, Meretz, Hadash, and the two Arab parties (38 MKs) did not recommend anyone. On 2 February, Peres formally tasked Netanyahu with forming a government.