Israel election sees no clear winner as neither bloc wins a majority
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Jerusalem: Israel's parliamentary election has left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the opposition facing a difficult path to forming the next government, with exit polls suggesting that neither camp has secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
According to The Jerusalem Post, projections put Netanyahu's bloc at 51-52 seats, while the opposition alliance led by former Israel Defence Forces chief Gadi Eisenkot was expected to win 49-51 seats. Channels 11 and 13 projected a tie at 51 seats each, while Channel 12 gave Netanyahu's camp a narrow lead with 52 seats.
The opposition declared victory after the exit polls were released, although the projections indicated that neither side had a clear route to power. Netanyahu's Likud party was expected to remain the largest single party with around 27 seats, followed by Yashar with 21-22.
Israeli Arab parties were projected to win up to 18 seats collectively, potentially giving them significant influence in coalition negotiations, The Guardian reported.
The election also recorded the highest voter turnout in 27 years, with 77.7 per cent of eligible voters casting their ballots by the 10 p.m. closing time, according to the Central Elections Committee. The figure exceeded the turnout in the 2022 election by more than seven percentage points.
The final seat count and the positions of smaller parties are expected to determine which camp can assemble a governing coalition.
With IANS inputs