Israel Election Results: Millions of Votes Counted, Hundreds of Ballot Boxes Under Review

The Central Elections Committee has reported that results from 11,542 out of 12,018 regular ballot boxes in the 26th Knesset elections have been processed, with over 5 million valid votes counted. Approximately 96% of the regular polling stations have reported, while results from 476 remain under review. The Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, is currently leading with over a million votes, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's "Yashar!" party. The counting of votes from outer envelopes, which are handled separately, is ongoing and could impact the final seat allocation.

According to the updated projections, the Likud party is set to secure 26 seats, making it the largest party in the Knesset. "Yashar!" is projected to win 21 seats, while "Achdut" and the Joint List are each expected to receive 12 seats. The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, are projected to get 8 seats. Several other parties, including United Torah Judaism, Shas, Otzma Yehudit, Yisrael Beiteinu, and Ra'am, are each expected to win 7 seats, with the Religious Zionism and Zehut lists securing 6 seats.

In terms of political blocs, the current coalition led by Netanyahu has 53 mandates, the left-wing bloc has 48, and the two Arab lists together hold 19 seats. While Netanyahu's bloc has a numerical advantage over the left-wing bloc, it falls short of the 61 seats required to form a government. The Likud has garnered 1,040,170 votes (20.70%), and "Yashar!" has received 814,385 votes (16.21%). The Joint List and "Achdut" follow with 461,963 (9.19%) and 453,607 (9.03%) votes, respectively.

The review process for the remaining 476 ballot boxes is a meticulous engineering and administrative procedure to ensure data accuracy and consistency between the polling station protocols and the national computer system. Once these checks are complete, the vote counts will be updated, potentially leading to shifts in seat distribution. Simultaneously, hundreds of thousands of votes cast via outer envelopes, including those from military bases, hospitals, and prisons, are being counted. These votes undergo a rigorous verification process to prevent double voting before the ballots are opened and tallied.

The Central Elections Committee emphasized that the currently published data only reflects the regular ballot boxes and does not yet include the votes from the outer envelopes. The final results, which will determine the official seat allocation for the 120 Knesset members, will be announced after all counting and verification stages are completed. This process has the potential to significantly alter the parliamentary map, especially in close races where a few votes can change the outcome. Allegations of election fraud, including vote-buying and irregularities in Arab communities, have also surfaced, with the Likud party demanding a comprehensive investigation.