Netanyahu Bloc Falls Short of Majority in Tight Israeli Election
Early counts show the prime minister's alliance at 54 seats, four shy of the governing threshold, leaving coalition talks to the Arab-led parties and reluctant opponents.
By Ibrahim Howard ·
The polls closed on October 27 in Israel, and the counting process revealed a fragmented Knesset.
No single faction secured the 61 seats required to form a government by the morning of October 28.
The Central Elections Committee placed the Likud party first with 27 seats.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s broader bloc was projected to hold 54 seats.
Gadi Eisenkot, the opposition leader, was projected to control 50 seats.
Both figures fall below the minimum needed to command a majority in the 120-member legislature.
Exit polls published on election night varied in their projections.
Kan 11 and Channel 13 reported a tie at 51 seats for both blocs.
Channel 12 gave Netanyahu a slight lead with 52 seats against 49 for Eisenkot.
Channel 15 offered the most favorable projection for the incumbent, showing 55 seats for his bloc and 49 for the opposition.
Parliamentary seats are distributed based on the national vote share.
Parties must clear a 3.25 percent threshold to qualify for representation in the Knesset, according to the electoral rules described in the source materials, though the source text notes this rule generally applies to parties rather than blocs specifically in the context of the threshold mention, wait, source says "provided the party clears the 3.25 percent threshold". I will stick to the source phrasing carefully or paraphrase: Seats are allocated proportionally to vote share, provided parties clear the 3.25 percent threshold.
Source: Al Jazeera
