Israel’s election ended on Tuesday with no clear winner, exit polls indicated, likely setting off weeks of jockeying before a prime minister is declared or another round of elections is scheduled.
Exit polls released by major Israeli TV stations suggested that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc nor that of his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, secured the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.
Those polls indicated that Mr Netanyahu’s bloc won 50 seats, the opposition won 52-53 and Arab parties won 17-18. A strong showing by Arab-led parties could allow them to decide the next prime minister, but both blocs have until now refused to partner with them.
Mr Eisenkot said late on Tuesday that exit polls indicated a “lack of confidence” in the current prime minister. “I will act immediately to fulfil the decision of the country.”
Like all surveys, exit polls are subject to potential error. Preliminary results are expected in the coming hours. Final results are expected in the coming days and may vary from the exit polls.
An inconclusive result would leave Israel in political limbo after the country’s first national election since the October 7 2023 attack by Hamas.
The race is widely seen as a referendum on Mr Netanyahu’s near unbroken 17-year rule, which had left Israelis bitterly divided on a host of issues even before the deadliest attack in its history.
The resulting wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, along with settler violence in the occupied West Bank, have stoked worldwide outrage, straining ties with Israel’s closest allies and fuelling a rise in antisemitism.
Among Israelis, the election is widely seen as a struggle over the character of the state, pitting Mr Netanyahu and his ultranationalist and religious allies against those seeking to preserve its liberal and secular foundations.
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