Parliamentary elections were held in Israel on October 27, the results of which could bring the country a new government. The first exit polls show that the party of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Likud," remains the largest political force, although the opposition bloc has a slight advantage in the number of seats. Reuters and The Jerusalem Post report this, writes UNN.
Details
According to exit polls from the Israeli television channels Kan 11, Channel 12 and Channel 13, the "Likud" party may win 24–25 seats in the 120-member Knesset. Its main competitor—the "Yashar" party of former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Gadi Eisenkot—is projected to win 21–23 seats.
At the same time, opposition forces may win approximately 50–53 seats, while Netanyahu's bloc may receive around 50. Thus, despite "Likud's" lead, the incumbent prime minister currently does not have sufficient support to form a new government.
Who could lead Israel's next government
A parliamentary majority requires control of at least 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats. According to preliminary results, neither of the two main political blocs reaches this threshold.
Arab parties, which exit polls project to win a total of 17–18 seats, could play an important role in forming the future coalition. However, some opposition politicians had previously opposed forming a government with their support.
Israel will close all crossings into the West Bank on election day — BBC25.10.26, 17:02
Among other political forces, the party of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, "Beyahad," may win 12–14 seats, Yair Golan's "Democrats" 9–10, and Avigdor Lieberman's "Yisrael Beiteinu" 7–9.
According to Israel's Central Elections Committee, turnout as of 20:00 stood at 74.3%—the highest figure for this time of day since 1988.
The preliminary results indicate that Netanyahu's "Likud" will likely remain the largest party. At the same time, the opposition, led by Eisenkot, has somewhat better results at the level of political blocs.
There is no definitive winner of the election yet. Who will become Israel's next prime minister will depend on the official vote count and negotiations on forming a parliamentary coalition.