The key facts
- By 12:00, 31.5% of 7.3 million voters had voted — a record since the 1970s
- According to polls by three TV channels, Netanyahu's coalition — 50 seats, the opposition bloc — 52–56
- If a government is not formed, new elections will be held in early 2027
Record turnout and the timeline for announcing results
Parliamentary elections began in Israel on 27 October. According to the country's Central Elections Committee, by 12:00 31.5% of 7.3 million voters had cast their ballots — the highest turnout figure at this time of day since the 1970s. Polling stations will close at 22:00 local time (01:00 Tashkent time), after which exit poll results will be announced; full results are expected on 29 October. This is reported by Kun.uz.
No bloc has a majority
As AP notes, in Israel's history no party has ever won an absolute majority of 61 seats on its own, so the main contest is between blocs. According to the latest polls by three major TV channels dated 23 October, the coalition led by incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receives 50 seats, while the opposition bloc gets 52–56. Seats of Arab parties (14–16) are not included in this calculation: most leaders of both blocs have refused to ally with them. Only Channel 14, which is close to Netanyahu, gave the ruling coalition a majority in its poll.
What happens if a government is not formed
If neither bloc manages to assemble a government, new elections will be held in early 2027, and until then Netanyahu will remain acting prime minister. This scenario looks realistic: according to polls, neither bloc reaches a majority, which is also confirmed by a report by The Times of Israel on the latest pre-election polls.
Netanyahu and his main rival
Many see these elections as a personal verdict on Netanyahu, who has led the country for a total of 19 years — longer than anyone in Israel's history. He continues to answer corruption charges in court but denies them. He built his campaign around the theme of security: he declared that he alone would wage the war against Iran — together with US President Donald Trump — and warned that if his rivals win, a Palestinian state would be created. Trump openly endorsed Netanyahu on 18 and 25 October, writing: «We must finish the job we started!»
An opposition without a single candidate
Netanyahu's main rival is former army Chief of Staff, leader of the Yashar party, Gadi Eisenkot. In the polls by three TV channels, his party receives 22–23 seats, ahead of Likud (19–21). Eisenkot promises to create a state commission to investigate the events of 7 October and to call ultra-Orthodox men up for military service. The opposition bloc also includes former prime minister Naftali Bennett's Beyahad alliance and two more parties, but the bloc has not officially announced a single candidate for prime minister.
