Israel's election ended with no clear winner Tuesday, exit polls indicated, and it could be weeks before Benjamin Netanyahu or one of his opponents will be declared the next prime minister.
It might even require another election.
That's because Israelis vote for parties and not candidates. Exit polls suggested that none of the several main parties is expected to win anywhere close to a 61-seat majority in Israel's parliament, known as the Knesset. So
the next prime minister will have to cobble together a coalition.
Those polls indicated that Netanyahu’s bloc won 50 seats, while the opposition, led by retired Gen. Gadi Eisenkot, won 52-53. In the end, both could fall short of a 61-seat majority, meaning another election could be held in the coming months with Netanyahu’s government staying on as a caretaker.
Arab parties won 17-18, the exit polls showed. Their strong showing could allow them to decide the next prime minister, but both blocs have until now refused to partner with them.
Here's a look at the process.
Shortly after polls closed at 10 p.m. local time (2000 GMT), Israel's three main television broadcasters released exit polls estimating how many seats were won by each party.
The exit polls usually provide a good indication of how people have voted. But they also could vary and may not be borne out by the official results, which will be released in the coming days.
The Associated Press calls thousands of elections in the United States, but doesn't declare winners in foreign elections.
If, as expected, neither coalition pulls off a clear victory, then the coming weeks will see intense negotiations and bargaining among party leaders as they try to get to 61 seats.
Israel's largely ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, will hold consultations with all the party leaders after the election and ask the candidate who appears most likely to form a coalition to do so. If that candidate is unable to assemble a majority within a maximum of six weeks, then others could be given a shot.
The process gives outsized power to smaller parties that can often provide a crucial margin. The leaders of the bigger parties typically woo them with promises of Cabinet positions, budgets or specific policies.
This election could in theory be decided by Arab-led parties.
Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot have so far ruled out any partnership with them. But they could allow Eisenkot to form a minority government by backing him from outside the coalition or even just abstaining from the Knesset vote to seat the next government.
If, after all the negotiations, no one is able to form a majority, a new election would be held in the next few months and the process would repeat itself.
Netanyahu's government would remain as a caretaker and public services wouldn't be affected. But it would lack the authority to enact major policy changes.
Even another election may not resolve matters.
The last national election held in Israel, in November 2022, was the fifth in 3½ years.
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This story has been corrected to show that polls close at 2000 GMT, not 1900 GMT.
