Netanyahu's party leads but coalition arithmetic favours opponents
Exit polls show Netanyahu's Likud won the most seats but anti-Netanyahu parties hold coalition advantage after record-high turnout.
Israelis voted in record numbers. Turnout hit 74.3 per cent.
Exit polls show Likud will get around 25 seats, making it the largest party. Netanyahu appears unable to form a government alone with those numbers.
Gadi Eisenkot leads the opposition Yashar party, projected at 21 to 23 seats. Anti-Netanyahu parties appear to have more numbers than his potential partners.
Far-right parties that previously backed Netanyahu, led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, are projected to gain only six seats each. The election focused partly on Netanyahu's handling of Hamas's 2023 attacks and his weakened security reputation after the assault broke through Israel's defences.
- 74.3 per cent
- Turnout
- Around 25
- Likud seats
- 21 to 23
- Yashar seats
- October 7, 2023
- Attacks date
Why it mattersThe result leaves Netanyahu's political future uncertain despite leading the vote, and may require unlikely coalition partners to form a government.
AustraliaAustralia's stance on Middle East diplomacy, Palestinian rights, and Israeli policy may shift depending on who forms Israel's next government.
Corroborated byabc.net.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 3 h ago
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