Netanyahu Vows to Keep Current Coalition Partners Amid Election Uncertainty
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared he will not dismiss any current coalition partners to form the next government, despite his bloc currently holding only 53 mandates. The final results are pending the count of hundreds of thousands of votes from double envelopes, which could shift the parliamentary balance. Netanyahu's Likud party is currently leading with 26 mandates, but his coalition faces a deficit in forming a majority government.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Netanyahu will not remove current coalition partners to form the next government.
- The current coalition bloc has 53 mandates, falling short of the 61 needed for a majority.
- Hundreds of thousands of votes from double envelopes are still being counted.
- Netanyahu's Likud party leads with 26 mandates in preliminary election results.
- The final government formation hinges on the outcome of the remaining vote count.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated in closed-door discussions that he will not remove any current coalition partners to bring in other parties for the next government. This declaration comes as the results of the 26th Knesset elections are being finalized, showing the current coalition bloc with only 53 mandates, short of the 61 needed for a majority. The counting of double envelopes, containing votes from soldiers, security personnel, and others, is still ongoing and could alter the final mandate distribution.
Netanyahu's firm stance means he is unwilling to replace existing coalition members with new parties, even if it becomes necessary to secure a parliamentary majority. This position is particularly significant given the current vote count, which indicates a challenging path to forming a government. Reports have also surfaced regarding a commitment not to include Itamar Ben-Gvir in the future government.
According to preliminary results from 93% of the votes, Netanyahu's Likud party leads with 26 mandates, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's party with 21. Other parties like Naftali Bennett's and the Joint List each have 12 mandates, while Yair Golan's party has 8. Parties including United Torah Judaism, Shas, Otzma Yehudit, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Ra'am each have 7 mandates, and Religious Zionism-Tzomet has 6.
The current coalition bloc stands at 53 mandates, with the left bloc at 48 and two Arab lists combined at 19. This represents a decrease of three seats for the coalition bloc compared to earlier counts. The practical implication is that even with full support from current partners, the bloc lacks the necessary number of Knesset members for a governing majority.
With hundreds of thousands of votes from double envelopes yet to be counted, the final outcome remains uncertain. The key question is whether Netanyahu can assemble the required parliamentary majority and under what conditions other parties might join him. Parties like Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelka's, and Ofer Winter's, are currently below the electoral threshold.
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