Netanyahu bloc leads Israeli election count but remains short of majority
publishers 37articles 54first reported 28 Oct, 00:46 UTCdeveloping since 28 Oct · 5 editionstop 25 #18
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc was leading Israel’s election count on Wednesday but remained short of a parliamentary majority, leaving parties facing potentially difficult coalition negotiations.
With about 85% of ballots counted, Netanyahu’s Likud and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies were projected to take 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, according to the BBC. The Jewish opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot was on 48 seats, while Arab-led parties were projected to win a record 19. A governing majority requires 61 seats.
Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot said they would seek to form a government. The Arab-led parties could provide the votes needed to support an Eisenkot-led coalition or minority administration, but Eisenkot said during the campaign that he would not govern with Arab lawmakers. Yair Golan, leader of a centre-left party in Eisenkot’s bloc, urged negotiations with the Arab parties.
Between 430,000 and 480,000 ballots cast mainly by soldiers, prisoners and diplomats remained to be counted, Deutsche Welle reported, meaning the seat distribution could still change. Turnout was 77.7%, the highest in more than two decades.
President Isaac Herzog will consult political factions after receiving the official results and ask the leader he believes is most likely to assemble a government to try to do so. Coalition negotiations could take weeks, and another election is possible if no government can be formed.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 6 with the publisher's own text; 8 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 12 h after the record first saw the story; the editor kept it as written.
- Publishers
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- Source articles
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- Given to the writer
- 8, 6 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 8
- This version written
- 12 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- kept as written
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