Israel Exit Polls Deadlock at 51-51 as Turnout Hits 77.7 Percent

(MENAFN) Israel’s two main election blocs are locked in a dead heat, according to revised exit polls released early Wednesday, and neither has a clear path to power. Projections from the public broadcaster and a commercial broadcaster show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp and the opposition bloc headed by former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot each on 51 seats, with Arab parties holding 18. Both fall short of the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

The commercial broadcaster’s breakdown has Likud remaining the largest party with 27 seats. Eisenkot’s Yashar party follows with 23, and an alliance called Together, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, is projected at 13. Among Arab parties, the Joint List is forecast to win 11 seats and the United Arab List (Ra’am) seven, for a combined 18.

The updated figures wiped out an early advantage for the opposition. Both outlets had first projected 53 seats for Eisenkot’s bloc, 50 for Netanyahu’s and 17 for Arab parties. A separate commercial broadcaster had earlier forecast 52 seats for Eisenkot’s bloc, 50 for Netanyahu’s and 18 for Arab parties.

Voter participation reached 77.7%, the highest level since 1999 and 7.1 percentage points above the 2022 election, the Central Elections Committee reported.

Polls closed at 10 pm local time (2000GMT) Tuesday, and counting is under way. Exit polls are projections, not official results, which are expected Nov. 4.

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