Israelis vote in tight election as neither bloc nears majority
Israelis voted Tuesday in a close race between Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot, with polls suggesting neither bloc reaches the 61 seats needed.
The story in focus
Israelis voted Tuesday in an election pitting incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu against former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Polling published Friday suggested a near neck-and-neck race, but neither political bloc was projected to win the 61 seats needed for a majority government, leaving weeks or months of coalition wrangling possible.
- Polling published Friday indicated a near neck-and-neck race between Netanyahu and Eisenkot
- Neither bloc was projected to reach the 61 seats needed to form a majority
- About 70,000 people reportedly flew home to vote and half a million cast ballots for the first time
- Exit polls were due at 22:00 local time, though votes of soldiers and reservists were not to begin being counted until Wednesday
- Security, accountability for the 7 October attacks, judicial reform and ultra-Orthodox conscription shaped the campaign
A race projected to fall short of a majority
Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday in what the BBC described as one of the most pivotal elections in the country's history. Polling published on Friday suggested Benjamin Netanyahu, first prime minister in 1996, was in a near neck-and-neck race with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the newly formed Yashar Party.
Neither political bloc was projected to win the 61 seats needed for a majority government. Israel's proportional representation system has always produced coalition governments, and the report said weeks or months of political wrangling could follow. About 70,000 people reportedly flew home to vote, and half a million were set to cast ballots for the first time.
What shaped the campaign
Opposition parties criticised Netanyahu over the security failure before the 7 October Hamas-led attacks, in which nearly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken to Gaza as hostages, and pressed for an independent inquiry he has resisted. They also cited his ongoing corruption trial, which he denies, and contested judicial reforms.
Netanyahu presented himself as a security leader, pointing to strategic victories in Israel's wars and his relationship with US President Donald Trump. Conscription was another dominant issue after the government failed to enforce a Supreme Court ruling that ultra-Orthodox men in full-time religious study be conscripted.
Counting and coalition arithmetic
Israeli broadcasters were due to publish exit polls at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT). Hundreds of thousands of soldiers and reservists also cast ballots, but many of those votes were not to begin being counted until Wednesday, which the BBC said could provide a late boost to right-wing parties thought to have strong support in that group.
Two Arab party blocs were also running; about one-fifth of Israel's population is Arab. The report said they could in theory prove kingmakers, but all but one of the leading Jewish parties ruled out working with them. Deadlock, in which no bloc can reach a majority, could lead to new elections with Netanyahu remaining interim prime minister, as happened in five elections between 2019 and 2022.
Why might the election result take days or weeks to resolve?
Neither bloc was projected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority, so coalition negotiations may follow. Counting of many soldiers' and reservists' votes was not to begin until Wednesday.
Sources & further reading
- Israel heads to polls for pivotal election defined by security and democracy ↗BBC
- Israel heads to the polls as shift to the right dominates critical election ↗Al Jazeera
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