Netanyahu fights to stay in power after tight election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking ways to maintain power following a tight Israeli election that resulted in no clear winner. Voters participated in the election in numbers not seen in decades, with many viewing the vote as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has governed the country on and off for more than 19 years.

According to the Egypt Independent, Netanyahu's Likud party remains the largest in the 120-seat Knesset with an estimated 26 seats. However, his right-wing bloc is expected to win only 53 seats, falling short of the 61-seat majority required to govern. While the opposition holds approximately 67 seats, the Egypt Independent notes that this arithmetic is fractured by various rivalries. Netanyahu's main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, won 21 seats, but the Jewish opposition parties total only 48 seats.

Brief written by urgent.news from Punch Nigeria, Punch, Egypt Independent, Al-Monitor — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.