Votes were being counted as dawn broke in Israel on Wednesday morning, but exit polls suggested that its momentous national election left no clear winner.
That likely meant the beginning of weeks of wrangling among parties to form a governing coalition and declare a new prime minister. In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains as interim caretaker head of the government.
Exit polls released by major Israeli TV stations right after polls closed
on Tuesday night and revised overnight indicated that neither Netanyahu’s political bloc nor that of his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in the parliament, known as the Knesset.
Israelis vote for parties, which then form alliances to create a majority coalition, and no single party has ever won a majority.
But the inconclusive result comes as the country remains deeply divided over Netanyahu's leadership and scarred by the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the wars that have since shaken the Middle East.
Here is the latest:
The counts from Israel’s Central Elections Committee kept coming in early Wednesday morning. The results are still partial as more voting stations are counted.
With around 40% of ballots counted, it reported 21.70% of the vote went to Likud, the party led by Netanyahu, who's Israel's longest-serving prime minister, and 15.72% to Yashar, the party led by Eisenkot. The count does not indicate how many seats each party will win in the parliament.
Addressing exuberant supporters past 3 a.m. Wednesday morning in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that exit polls indicate his Likud will be the largest party in the next parliament. He listed Israel’s military accomplishments over the past three years and stressed his close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump while pledging to finish the job against Iran’s regime.
In a message aimed at his rivals, he said no government should be formed that relies on Arab parties.
Arab-led parties had a strong showing in Tuesday’s election and could be kingmakers if, as exit polls indicate, Netanyahu’s bloc and his opponents are tied and both unable to form governing coalitions.
In a sign of the uncertainty ahead, the mood at both Eisenkot and Netanyahu’s headquarters was celebratory. In a speech early Wednesday in Tel Aviv that focused on national unity, Eisenkot pledged to form a government and promised “a new era — an era of hope” for Israelis.
“Today, Israel went out to a referendum over the leadership that will lead Israel in the coming years,” Eisenkot said to cheers from supporters. “The people decided in favor of change.”
