Eisenkot’s Party Surpasses Likud in First Post-Primary Poll with No Clear Majority
Translated & summarized from Behadrei Haredim by baba
A Kan News poll shows Benny Gantz’s party leading with 24 seats, surpassing Likud’s 23, but no bloc holds a majority to form a government. Likud voters show mixed views on their new primary list, and most oppose reserving a spot for Bezalel Smotrich on the Likud slate.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- No bloc has a majority; coalition holds 52 seats, opposition 57, Arab parties 11.
- Eisenkot’s party leads with 24 seats, Likud follows with 23 seats.
- Several smaller parties remain below the electoral threshold.
- 44% see no difference between new and old Likud lists; 41% of Likud voters prefer the new list.
- Avi Dichter and Nir Barkat are the most missed ministers from the Likud list.
- 62% oppose reserving a spot for Bezalel Smotrich on the Likud list.
A new Kan News poll conducted by the Kantar Institute reveals no clear majority for any bloc to form a government in Israel. The current coalition holds 52 seats, the opposition 57, and Arab parties 11. Among individual parties, Benny Gantz’s "Yesh Atid" leads with 24 seats, narrowly ahead of Likud with 23. Other parties in the poll include "Together" (14), "The Democrats" (10), Otzma Yehudit (9), Yisrael Beiteinu (9), United Torah Judaism (8), Shas (7), Hadash-Ta’al (6), Ra’am (5), and Religious Zionism (5). Several parties, including Trooper-Handel (2.9%), Balad (2.1%), Ardan-Edelstein (1.6%), and Blue and White (1.4%), remain below the electoral threshold.
Among Likud voters, satisfaction with the primary election list is notable. When asked which ministers were most missed from realistic list placements, Avi Dichter led with 10%, followed by Nir Barkat at 9%. Regarding the new Likud list compared to the previous one, 44% saw no difference, 24% were unsure, 18% believed it was better, and 14% thought it worse. Among Likud voters specifically, 41% considered the new list an improvement.
On the question of reserving a spot for Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich on the Likud list, a majority of 62% opposed it, 14% supported it, and 24% were undecided. The poll reflects ongoing uncertainty in Israel’s political landscape following recent primaries, with no bloc commanding a decisive majority and internal party dynamics still in flux.
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