Poll Shows 60% of Israelis Favor Unity Government if No Clear Election Winner

A "Maariv" poll conducted by Lazar Research ahead of the upcoming elections indicates a six-seat gap between the blocs opposing and supporting Prime Minister Netanyahu. The "Am Israel" party is projected to fall short of the electoral threshold. The poll shows "Yashar" leading with 21 mandates, followed closely by the Likud with 19. When divided into blocs, the anti-Netanyahu bloc, excluding Arab parties, secures 54 mandates, while the right-wing bloc garners 48. A new party, "Reservists and Economists," is predicted to pass the threshold with four mandates, though its support margin is narrow, making its seat allocation potentially volatile. "Achad Ha'am" is the third-largest party with 15 mandates, followed by "Democrats" with ten, and the "Joint List" with nine. "Yisrael Beiteinu" and "Shas" each receive eight mandates. "United Torah Judaism," "Otzma Yehudit," and the "Religious Zionism and Identity" list each get seven mandates. "Ra'am" is projected at five mandates, with "Reservists and Economists" at four. "Am Israel" is polling at 3%, "Haredi Public Party" at 0.9%, and "Noam LeIsrael" at 0.5%, all below the threshold. Voter turnout expectations are high, with 81% of respondents certain they will vote, an increase from the 71% turnout in the 2022 elections. In the event of an unclear election outcome, 60% of respondents prefer a unity government over new elections. Of those favoring a unity government, 33% want a leader from the "change bloc" to head it, 19% prefer Netanyahu, and 8% are indifferent to the leader as long as a unity government is formed. Conversely, 23% would prefer a repeat election if no clear decision is reached.