With 66.2 percent of ballots counted in Israel's Knesset election, the bloc of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in the lead with 56 seats in parliament. The opposition bloc led by former Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot currently holds 48 seats, while Arab parties that belong to neither bloc but also oppose Netanyahu have won 16. Counting is still under way, and no side has yet secured the 61 of 120 seats required for a parliamentary majority.
Both leaders addressed their supporters late on the night of October 27 and claimed the right to form the next government, according to the BBC. Netanyahu said his right-wing bloc enjoys a «decisive majority» among the Jewish population and among those who support the State of Israel. «It has become completely clear. A decisive majority», the prime minister said, though he stopped short of declaring victory outright.
Eisenkot made his remarks after exit polls were published, which had shown the opposition bloc narrowly ahead of Netanyahu's. He said that «Israeli society has chosen change» and argued that the public had voted against Netanyahu remaining prime minister. Yair Lapid, a former prime minister who is part of the opposition bloc, described Netanyahu's performance as a «crushing defeat» after the exit polls appeared.
The gap between the early exit polls and the partial count underlines how much remains open. The Arab parties' 16 seats are not part of either main bloc, which means the path to a governing coalition runs through negotiations that have yet to begin in earnest. Coverage from Meduza, which first reported the figures, noted that the outcome may shape the country's direction well beyond the vote itself, and that the decisive developments are likely to come after the count is finalized and coalition talks start.