Israel election count: neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot bloc has a majority
With about 84% of ballots counted, Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc had 54 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's opposition 49, both short of the 61 needed; Arab-led parties with about 17 seats hold the theoretical balance of power.
Israel’s general election on Tuesday has produced no clear winner so far, according to partial results reported by The Guardian and Al Jazeera on Wednesday.
The count so far
With about 84% of ballots counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing bloc had 54 seats and the opposition “change” bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot had 49 - both short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset. Likud remained the largest single party with about 27 seats, followed by Eisenkot’s Yashar with about 22.
Arab parties as potential kingmakers
Arab-led parties, including Ra’am and the Joint List, were on about 17 seats. Together with them the opposition would reach 66 seats, but most parties in the change bloc ruled out such a partnership before the vote, The Guardian notes. Turnout was 77.7%, the highest since 1999, according to Al Jazeera.
What next
The figures are not final: the full tally is expected by Friday and official results are due to be published on 4 November. Israeli exit polls had been revised several times overnight, and seat numbers may still shift.
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