(JERUSALEM POST) — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to carry on over a decade in office with a historic victory in Tuesday’s Israeli election and to be tasked with forming a government for the sixth time remained up in the air late Tuesday, after exit polls predicted a stalemate.
The final unofficial results were only expected on Wednesday afternoon, but according to an exit poll on Channel 13, whose pollster Camil Fuchs had the most accurate exit poll in the April election, Netanyahu’s Likud party won 31 seats, and his Center-Right bloc a total of 54 seats. The Center-Left bloc of Blue and White leader Benny Gantz won 58, including the Joint List, and his party won 33.
Turnout in the race was higher than expected, even though Israelis went to the polls for the second time in five months. Arab turnout was up from the 49% in the April 9 election.
