Israeli opposition leads Netanyahu after inconclusive vote
Voter turnout was close to record highs throughout the day, reaching almost 78% as of 10 p.m. local time.
In a closely contested vote following the October 2023 attacks, Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot narrowly outpaced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, setting the stage for a tense period of political maneuvering. According to three exit polls, Eisenkot's bloc is projected to secure 52 out of Israel's 120 parliamentary seats, surpassing Netanyahu's religious right-wing alliance by a margin of just two seats.
This leaves both men well short of the 61 seats required to form a government outright, yet positions Eisenkot in a favorable position to negotiate a coalition government.
However, the final outcome remains uncertain as vote counting continues. Netanyahu's Likud party appears poised to emerge as the largest single party, with 24-25 seats, compared to Eisenkot's Yesh Atid with 21-23 seats. With these figures, it becomes increasingly likely that Eisenkot will have the upper hand in the negotiations to form the next government.
Written by urgent.news from Japan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
