Israel Concludes Knesset Election Vote Count, Final Results Expected Soon
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
Israel is concluding the vote count for the 26th Knesset elections, with final results expected by October 29. Preliminary data shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc leading with 53 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's bloc is projected to win 48. The counting of votes from "double envelopes" has commenced. Gadi Eisenkot expressed his focus on forming a "Zionist government of call-up," while Benjamin Netanyahu held initial talks with coalition partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Israel's 26th Knesset election vote count is nearing completion, with final results due by October 29.
- Preliminary results show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc projected to win 53 seats in the Knesset.
- Gadi Eisenkot's bloc is expected to secure 48 seats, while Arab parties collectively are projected to win 19 seats.
- Counting of votes from "double envelopes" has begun, potentially impacting the final seat distribution.
- Gadi Eisenkot stated his aim to form a "Zionist government of call-up" to bring change.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has begun coalition talks with Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Israel is nearing the completion of its vote count for the 26th Knesset elections, held on October 27. All ballots from standard polling stations have been processed, and counting is underway for votes cast using "double envelopes." Final results are anticipated by the evening of October 29. Early tallies, with 91% of votes counted, indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is projected to secure 53 seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's bloc is expected to win 48, and Arab parties collectively 19. The Likud party is leading with 26 mandates, followed by Yashar with 21. The United Arab List has 11 seats, Be'ahad 12, Democrats 8, Yahadut HaTorah 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 7, Shas 7, Otzma Yehudit 7, and Ra'am has 8 seats, gaining one mandate from the United Arab List. The Religious Zionism-Zeut list is projected to receive 6 mandates.
The counting of votes from "double envelopes," estimated to be between 430,000 and 480,000 ballots, began around 1:00 AM. Preliminary results from 89.8% of the votes showed Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats and Eisenkot's bloc with 48. At this stage, the United Arab List had 12 seats, Be'ahad 12, Democrats 8, Yahadut HaTorah 7, Yisrael Beiteinu 7, Shas 7, Otzma Yehudit 7, Ra'am 7, and Religious Zionism-Zeut 6.
Following the exit poll results released on the night of October 28, Gadi Eisenkot stated on X that he was focused on "bringing change to Israel and forming a Zionist government of call-up." He remarked that the public had expressed distrust in the government following the events of October 7 and criticized the bloc of draft evaders, noting their lowest vote count in 20 years. Eisenkot acknowledged the significant responsibility placed upon him by hundreds of thousands of citizens.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held his first discussions with Bezalel Smotrich, chairman of the Religious Zionism party, and Itamar Ben-Gvir, head of Otzma Yehudit, since the exit polls were published. Further conversations with representatives from Shas and Yahadut HaTorah were expected later.
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