‘We won’: Eisenkot claims ‘complete victory’ in Israeli elections as exit polls show Netanyahu’s bloc collapsing — but no bloc has a 61-seat majority yet
Minority government possibility emerges amid coalition uncertainty
A confident Gadi Eisenkot, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's challenger, said the exit poll would mean a “complete victory” for his bloc.
The former general and son of Moroccan immigrants added that he will “act immediately” to replace Netanyahu’s government.
Exit polls early on Wednesday (October 28) show no immediate clear winner in the pivotal vote.
Based on partial unofficial results, neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot is on track for the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
Get it: Fast, verified news for FREE ... download the Gulf News app — simply click here
Eisenkot, however, said that early results give him the first shot at forming a government to replace Netanyahu, The Jerusalem Post reported.
His bloc leads 53-50 or 52-50 on Channels 11, 12 and 13, though Likud is the largest party.
Updates
Rival blocs neck-and-neck: After initially giving an edge to the opposition led by ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, exit polls from the three mainstream Israeli television networks now gave the two blocs around 51 seats each in the 120-member Knesset — well below the 61 needed to govern
Israeli Arab lists: They are known as "kingmakers" in politics, Israeli-Arab list reportedly made strong gains, with exit polls showing them winning 17 or 18 seats between them.
What the exit polls show so far
These numbers are preliminary and unofficial.
Biggest party: Netanyahu’s Likud is projected to be the largest, with 24 to 25 seats, as per reports on on Channels 11, 12 and 13. Eisenkot’s Yashar is projected at 21 to 23 seats.
Blocs: Channels 11 and 12 put Netanyahu’s bloc at 50 seats and Eisenkot’s at 52 to 53.
Netanyahu's bloc: CNN notes Channel 12 projection that Netanyahu’s bloc falling from 68 seats in the last Knesset to 50.
Arab parties: They are projected to win a record 17 to 18 seats.
Outlier: Channel 14, which is strongly pro-Netanyahu, gave his coalition 60 seats and Eisenkot’s 43.
Kan 11 breakdown: Likud 25, Yashar 21, B’Yachad (Bennett and Lapid) 14, Democrats 10, Joint List 10, Yisrael Beytenu 8, Ra’am 7, Otzma Yehudit, UTJ, Shas and Religious Zionism 6 each. JTA reports this.
The 'balance of power'
JTA, a non-profit news agency covering Jewish communities and Israel, says Eisenkot’s bloc, with Yashar, B’Yachad, the Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu, would have 53 seats.
Even adding Ra’am, it would reach only 60, one short of a majority.
The Jerusalem Post says the exit polls raise the possibility of a minority government that could win a confidence vote without 61 seats, though opposition within the bloc to relying on Arab parties could complicate that.
Bloomberg reported that exit polls in the Israel election give Eisenkot's bloc an "edge" over Netanyahu coalition. Former ambassador Michael Oren point to a possible "narrow" victory, but he noted that this prediction is "tentative" as vote tallies are still coming in.
VOTER TURNOUT: Voter turnout reached 77.7% by the close of polling at 10 pm on Oct. 27, according to Israel’s Central Elections Committee, cited by multiple news organisations. That represented 5,695,682 voters. It was described as the highest poll-closing turnout since 1999.
Reaction
Eisenkot declared “victory” for the Zionist parties on X, according to JTA, and said the polls show a complete lack of confidence in Netanyahu, per France 24.
Turnout was reported as a record. I found no Netanyahu statement on the exit polls yet.
What happens next
Exit polls have differed from final results in past elections. Counting continues overnight.
Official results are due by November 4.
President Isaac "Buji" Herzog will then task a member of parliament with forming a government.
Coalition talks could take weeks, and prolonged deadlock could lead to another election.
Sources: CNN, NBC News, Jerusalem Post, JTA, France 24, RTÉ, Israel Hayom.
