Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc is leading the opposition as vote counting continues in the country’s parliamentary elections, with neither side securing a majority after approximately 42% of ballots have been counted.
According to local media outlets, as of 5:58 a.m. local time, with 41.9% of ballots counted, Netanyahu’s bloc was projected to win 57 seats, while the opposition bloc was set to secure 47. The United List and the Ra’am faction were reported to have won a combined 16 seats.
Based on the current figures, Netanyahu’s Likud party was leading with 28 seats, while the opposition’s Yashar party had secured 21.
Meanwhile, the Haaretz newspaper reported that Netanyahu held a narrow lead over opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who currently heads the Yashar party.
It is worth noting that Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, has 120 seats. A party or political bloc needs at least 61 seats to secure a majority. As Western media have noted, coalition negotiations will be a crucial stage in determining the country’s next government, regardless of the final election results.
Voter turnout was also notably high, reaching 77.7%-one of the highest levels in Israeli electoral history. Turnout in the previous parliamentary elections, held in 2022, stood at 70.6%.