By Samuel Olusegun Precious
Israel’s parliamentary election ended on Tuesday with no clear winner, as exit polls and partial results showed neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc secured a governing majority.
With over 57 percent of votes counted as of 8am Wednesday, Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition was projected to win 56 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc was on 49 seats, according to tallies published by Israeli media.
The figures fall short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. Exit polls released by Israel’s major television networks shortly after polls closed gave similar projections. Channel 12, Channel 13 and public broadcaster Kan projected Netanyahu’s bloc at 50 to 52 seats, while Eisenkot’s bloc was put at 51 to 53 seats.
A separate exit poll by i24NEWS gave Netanyahu’s camp 55 seats against 49 for Eisenkot’s bloc.Likud remains the largest single party with 24 to 27 seats, ahead of Eisenkot’s centrist Yashar party with 20 to 23 seats.
Arab-led parties, which are not aligned with either bloc, were projected to win 16 to 18 seats, potentially emerging as kingmakers in coalition negotiations.Voter turnout stood at 77.7 percent, an increase of 7.1 percent from 2022 and the highest since 1999, according to the Central Elections Committee.
The election is largely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu’s handling of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and the ensuing war in Gaza, as well as conflicts with Lebanon and Iran.
President Isaac Herzog is expected to begin consultations with party leaders once final results are released later this week.Until a new coalition is formed, Prime Minister Netanyahu will remain in office in a caretaker capacity.
An inconclusive result could lead to weeks of political wrangling, and if no coalition emerges, Israel could be headed for yet another election.
