Likud Leads in Early Election Results, Nearing Majority
Translated & summarized from JDN by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is leading in Israel's Knesset elections with nearly a third of votes counted, projecting 59 seats for his bloc, just short of a majority. The high voter turnout reached nearly 77.7%. Netanyahu called for a right-wing government, opposing reliance on Arab parties. The counting of remaining ballots is continuing.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Likud leads early election results with 59 seats projected for Netanyahu's bloc.
- Nearly a third of votes counted show Likud with 22.02% of the vote.
- Voter turnout reached a 25-year high of approximately 77.7%.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu called for a strong national-Jewish government.
- The center-left bloc is projected to win 46 seats in the early count.
As vote counting continues in Israel's Knesset elections, preliminary results show a significant lead for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party. With nearly a third of ballots processed, Netanyahu's bloc is projected to win 59 seats, just two short of the 61 needed to form a government. This outcome contrasts with initial exit polls that favored the center-left bloc, which is currently projected to secure 46 seats, while Arab parties collectively hold 15 seats.
The Likud party is leading with 22.02% of the vote, translating to 388,865 votes and an estimated 29 mandates. Following closely is Gadi Eisenkot's party with 15.46% and 273,048 votes (20 mandates). The Joint List is in third place with 8.57% (8 mandates), narrowly ahead of Naftali Bennett's party at 8.29% (7 mandates).
Other parties projected to cross the 3.25% electoral threshold include United Torah Judaism (6.71%, 8 mandates), Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu (6.37%, 5 mandates), Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit (5.95%, 7 mandates), Yair Golan's Democrats (5.89%, 10 mandates), Shas (5.79%, 10 mandates), Religious Zionism-Identity (5.62%, 7 mandates), and Ra'am (3.70%, 5 mandates).
Parties falling below the threshold include The Reservists and the Economic party (2.72%) and Am Israel party (1.80%). The voter turnout was exceptionally high, nearing a final rate of 77.7%, the highest in 25 years.
In response to the developing results, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed his supporters, calling for the formation of a strong, national-Jewish government and expressing opposition to any government reliant on the support of Arab parties. The counting process, including double envelopes, is ongoing.
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