Polling Ends Across Israel in High-Stakes General Elections as Vote Counting Gets Underway; Exit Polls Indicate No Clear Majority for Any Bloc, Elevating Kingmaker Role for Arab Parties
TEL AVIV: The elections to Israel’s general assembly have closed and election officials have begun counting ballots across the nation.
Preliminary exit polls have been aired after polls closed and suggest that right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government may not be able to win a clear parliamentary victory. The coalition of right-wing and hardline opposition is expected to capture 52 seats, while the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot will gain 49 seats, according to the projections.
The following is a summary of the key points from Israeli General Election Exit Polls and Seat Projections.The following are some highlights of Israeli General Election Exit Polls and Seat Projections.
The kingmaker role is being played by the Arab parties as neither of the two main groups has achieved a majority in the Knesset with at least 61 seats needed to form a stable government. As a result, Arab political parties, expected to secure some 18 seats, may become the decisive kingmakers on the process of forming a new coalition.
The electoral results show that Likud led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should remain the sole largest party in the parliament with 24 seats, followed closely by opposition party led by Gadi Eisenkot, with 22 seats.
Uncertain Political Future: As official tallying continues, political uncertainty looms over Tel Aviv, with intense backroom negotiations anticipated to determine whether a ruling majority can be successfully cobbled together.