Election Exit Polls Show No Clear Majority for Government Formation

Exit polls released Tuesday evening following the close of voting for the 26th Knesset indicate that neither the bloc supporting Benjamin Netanyahu nor the "change bloc" has secured the 61 seats required to form a government. Channel 16's poll projects Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats and the change bloc, comprising parties like Yish, Be Together, Democrats, and Yisrael Beiteinu, with 51 seats. The Likud party emerged as the largest single party with 25 seats, followed by Yish with 22 seats, and Be Together with 13 seats. Arab parties, including the Joint List and Ra'am, collectively garnered 16 seats in this poll. While Netanyahu's bloc holds a slight two-seat advantage, it falls short of the necessary majority, requiring eight more seats for government formation. Other polls presented slightly different results, with Channel 13's poll showing the change bloc with 52 seats and Netanyahu's bloc with 50, and Arab parties securing 18 seats. Channel 14's poll showed a significantly different outcome, with Netanyahu's bloc at 60 seats and the change bloc at 43, also failing to achieve a majority. Officials emphasize that these are initial projections and the final results may change as vote counting progresses.