Netanyahu’s Likud leads in early count in Israel — Anadolu Agency

In Israel’s parliamentary election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is leading after 16.8% of ballots were counted. It received 24.1% of the vote, while Yashar, led by former Chief of the General Staff Gadi Eisenkot, received 16.1%, Anadolu Agency reports, citing the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

Preliminary counting results

According to Yedioth Ahronoth, the Central Election Commission counted 956,458 votes, representing 16.8% of ballots cast. The Together alliance, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, received 8.8%. The Joint List received 5.9%, while the United Arab List Ra’am received 2.75%.

The partial results do not yet determine the final distribution of seats in the 120-member Knesset. Voter turnout was 77.7%, the highest figure since 1999, according to the Central Election Commission.

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Exit poll data

An updated exit poll by Channel 12 projected 52 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 49 for the opposition led by Eisenkot, and 19 for Arab parties. At the same time, exit polls by Israel’s public broadcaster and Channel 13 gave the two main blocs 51 seats each and Arab parties 18.

None of these projections gave either bloc the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. Exit polls are voter surveys and are not part of the current ballot count.