NEWS
No Clear Winner, No Clear Path to Power as Netanyahu Faces Election Deadlock
No Clear Winner, No Clear Path to Power as Netanyahu Faces Election Deadlock
Exit polls and preliminary results leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition short of the 61 seats required to form a majority government.
Netanyahu calls for a right-wing government, while opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot insists voters have rejected the prime minister’s continued leadership.
Arab-led parties emerge as potential kingmakers, with their projected seats likely to influence post-election negotiations.
Voter turnout hits 77.7 per cent, the highest since 1999, as Israel confronts another period of political uncertainty.
October 28, () – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, are facing a difficult battle to secure power after Tuesday’s parliamentary election failed to produce a clear winner, leaving both political camps short of the majority required to form a government.
Initial exit polls showed a closely contested race between Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc and the opposition alliance led by Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israeli military.
Although preliminary results subsequently placed Netanyahu’s bloc ahead, neither side had demonstrated that it could command the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
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The outcome leaves Israel facing potentially prolonged coalition negotiations, with smaller parties, particularly Arab-led political groups, likely to play a decisive role in determining who forms the next government.
Exit polls released by Israel’s major television broadcasters produced varying projections. Channel 12 initially gave Netanyahu’s bloc 52 seats against 49 for the opposition, while Channels 13 and Kan 11 projected the two camps at 51 seats each.
Channel
The figures were provisional and differed from subsequent estimates based on ballots counted after voting closed. The final distribution of seats remained uncertain as counting continued.
Netanyahu, addressing supporters at his Likud party’s election headquarters in Jerusalem, called for the formation of a “strong, right-wing national government”. He also claimed that right-wing parties had secured a decisive majority among the Zionist public.
His assertion, however, did not translate into a confirmed parliamentary majority for his coalition.
Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, rejected Netanyahu’s claim to continued leadership, arguing that the election had demonstrated the public’s desire for a change of government. He called on the prime minister to retire from Politics.
Neither politician declared victory, and the competing statements did little to resolve the central question arising from the election: which political camp can assemble enough parliamentary support to govern.
Netanyahu’s coalition held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset. The preliminary projections suggested that the bloc could lose its majority, forcing the prime minister to seek additional partners if he hopes to remain in office.
The election is a significant test of Netanyahu’s leadership following the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza and wider regional confrontations. Security, the government’s handling of the attacks and the consequences of prolonged conflict have remained central issues in Israeli Politics.
Arab Parties Hold Potential Balance Of Power
Arab-led political parties are emerging as potentially decisive players in the struggle to form Israel’s next government.
Initial exit polls projected that the parties could collectively win between 17 and 19 seats. Preliminary estimates varied as votes were counted, but their combined representation appeared large enough to influence coalition negotiations.
The results could create an opening for the opposition if it secures the support of Arab lawmakers, either through a formal coalition arrangement or parliamentary backing from outside the government.
However, cooperation remains politically contentious. Netanyahu has opposed a government dependent on Arab parties, while Eisenkot and other opposition figures have also expressed reservations about a formal partnership.
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said he hoped the final results would enable the anti-Netanyahu camp, including his party, to reach the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government. He also indicated that both major political camps had approached his party.
Whether such contacts translate into an agreement remains uncertain. The distinction between joining a governing coalition and supporting a government on key parliamentary votes could become important if neither major bloc secures a majority on its own.
Netanyahu must also contend with the demands of his right-wing and religious allies, including parties associated with Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. Their support could be essential to any attempt to rebuild his governing majority, but negotiations with smaller parties could constrain his options.
The opposition faces a similar challenge. Even if it emerges with more seats than Netanyahu’s bloc, it must still secure sufficient support from parties with differing political positions to form a viable government.
Netanyahu Raises Iran Threat as Eisenkot Warns Against Politicising Security
Security remained central to the post-election statements of both leaders.
Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s military operations and raised the prospect of renewed joint action with United States President Donald Trump against Iran.
Speaking to supporters after the polls closed, he said Israel faced a historic opportunity, alongside Washington, to remove what he described as the existential threat posed by Iran.
The remarks reinforced Netanyahu’s emphasis on military strength and national security, issues that have dominated Israeli Politics since the October 2023 attacks and the conflicts that followed.
Eisenkot, a former military chief who served in Netanyahu’s wartime government before leaving it, warned against using national security for political purposes.
He described Netanyahu as a caretaker prime minister without a fresh mandate from the public and urged the security establishment to resist any attempt to place political interests above the country’s security.
The exchange reflected the competing arguments presented during the election campaign, with Netanyahu stressing his security record and Eisenkot challenging his continued leadership.
Netanyahu also remains on trial in longstanding corruption cases, allegations he denies. His handling of the October 7 attacks and the subsequent war has been a source of sustained political debate.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Turnout Hits Highest Level Since 1999
Israel’s Central Elections Committee reported voter turnout of 77.7 per cent, the highest since 1999 and approximately seven percentage points above the level recorded in the 2022 election.
The strong participation came amid intense debate over Netanyahu’s leadership, national security, the wars that followed the October 2023 attacks and the country’s political direction.
The projected gains by Arab-led parties also highlighted the importance of their electoral performance in a contest in which neither major bloc secured a clear majority.
Under Israel’s parliamentary system, voters elect party lists to the Knesset rather than directly electing the prime minister.
Following the declaration of official results, President Isaac Herzog is expected to consult political leaders before assigning a candidate the task of forming a government.
The designated candidate must then negotiate agreements with other parties to secure sufficient parliamentary support. If the first candidate fails, another may be allowed to form a government.
Should neither camp assemble a viable majority, the country could face another election. In the meantime, Netanyahu is expected to remain caretaker prime minister while the political parties negotiate.
Israel has experienced repeated electoral deadlocks in recent years, including five elections between 2019 and 2022, before Netanyahu returned to office following the November 2022 vote.
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