Final Knesset Election Results Hinge on Double Envelope Votes
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
The final results of Israel's 26th Knesset elections are awaiting the count of approximately 10-12 seats worth of "double envelope" ballots. These votes, cast by soldiers, diplomats, and others, could change the seat distribution and affect parties near the electoral threshold. Initial results show Likud leading with 26 seats, with Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats and the opposition bloc at 48.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Hundreds of thousands of "double envelope" ballots are being counted, potentially changing election results.
- These votes are equivalent to approximately 10-12 Knesset seats.
- The ballots are cast by soldiers, reservists, police, diplomats, and evacuees.
- Initial results show Likud leading with 26 seats, followed by Yisrael Beiteinu with 21.
- Netanyahu's bloc currently stands at 53 seats, while the opposition bloc has 48.
The final results of the 26th Knesset elections are pending the counting of hundreds of thousands of "double envelope" ballots, which could significantly alter the political landscape. These votes, equivalent to approximately 10-12 Knesset seats, are cast by individuals unable to vote at their registered polling stations, including soldiers, reservists, police officers, prison guards, diplomats, and evacuees eligible for special polling stations. The addition of these votes to the national tally may shift the current seat distribution, impact the balance between political blocs, and affect parties close to the electoral threshold.
Initial results show Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud leading with 26 seats, followed by Gadi Eisenkot's Yisrael Beiteinu with 21, and Naftali Bennett's Bayit Yehudi and Yousef Jabareen's Joint List tied at 12 seats each. Other parties include Yair Golan's HaDemocratim (8 seats), Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu (7 seats), Mansour Abbas's Ra'am (7 seats), Yaakov Asher's United Torah Judaism (7 seats), Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit (7 seats), Aryeh Deri's Shas (7 seats), and Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism (6 seats). Parties led by Ofer Winter (Am Yisrael) and Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zehlikha (HaMiluimnikim VeHaKalkalit) received zero seats in the initial count.
The current bloc count, excluding the double envelope votes, places Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats and the "change bloc" at 48 seats, with Arab parties holding 19 seats.
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