{
  "id": 16847310,
  "title": "Israeli exit polls suggest no clear winner in pivotal general election",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/israeli-exit-polls-suggest-no-clear-winner-in-pivotal-general-election-16847310",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-28T04:45:25.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "KahawaTungu",
    "slug": "kahawatungu",
    "url": "https://kahawatungu.com/israeli-exit-polls-suggest-no-clear-winner-in-pivotal-general-election/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Exit polls reveal no clear winner in Israel's critical general election, with neither incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot poised to gain a majority. According to projections, Eisenkot's Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties would secure 51 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, alongside Netanyahu's Likud party and its allied far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. A different broadcaster's poll indicated Netanyahu leading by three seats. The outcome now hinges on the strong performance of two Arab parties, which were expected to capture a record 18 or 19 seats. Voter turnout was the highest in decades, at 77.7%, marking the peak at that hour since 1999. Official results will begin to be published immediately, but absentee ballots, accounting for about 10% of the total votes, will not be fully counted until Thursday. Upon final confirmation, Israel's president will invite the party leader believed to have the best chance of forming a governing coalition, a process that could span weeks. Should negotiations fail, a subsequent election may be necessary. At the Yashar party's headquarters in Tel Aviv, supporters celebrated and chanted, \"Bibi, go home!\" following the initial exit polls published by public broadcaster Kan, Channel 12, and Channel 13, which projected the bloc would win between 52 and 53 seats, versus 50 for Netanyahu's coalition. Yashar's ally, Yair Lapid, claimed Netanyahu's bloc had suffered \"a crushing defeat\". Yet, Netanyahu's Likud party, projected to lead the Knesset, remained resolute, with supporters expressing anxiety. Likud's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar dismissed the left's premature celebrations, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir urged his far-right party's supporters to pray for a \"full-on right-wing government\" once the final results are in. The two Arab parties – United Arab List and the Joint List – were projected to gain additional Knesset seats following a reported surge in Arab Israeli turnout. United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas expressed hope that the voting results would enable a coalition of 61 seats for the Change Bloc and the UAL.",
  "summary": "Exit polls suggest there is no clear winner of Israel’s pivotal general election, with neither veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor former military chief Gadi Eisenkot on track to secure a majority. Two Israeli broadcasters projected that Eisenkot’s Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his “Change Bloc” would win 51 seats in [...] The post Israeli exit polls suggest…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "CBS News",
        "title": "Israeli election turnout higher than in decades as outcome still unclear",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/27/israeli-election-turnout-higher-than-in-decades-as-outcome-still",
        "published": "2026-10-27T21:48:13.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Watch: What happens now after close vote in Israeli election?",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/watch-what-happens-now-after-close-vote-in-israeli-election",
        "published": "2026-10-28T00:04:29.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Straits Times Business",
        "title": "Oil holds decline as traders track result of Israeli election",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/oil-holds-decline-as-traders-track-result-of-israeli-election",
        "published": "2026-10-28T00:27:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}