Partial results of parliamentary elections in Israel show veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading his rival, former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, but has not yet secured the majority in parliament.

With 85 per cent of the votes counted, the Likud party of Netanyah and its rightist allies and ultraorthodoc Jews are expected to win 53 seats in Knesset, the 120-seat parliament. Meanwhile, Eisenkot’s Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties are expected to win 48 seats.

Both leaders have claimed they will try to form a coalition government.

Arab-led parties, which are expected to win a record 19 seats, could become crucial to forming the government. However, all Jewish parties, except one, have promised they would not cooperate with them.

Since there have not yet been counted from 430 thousand to 480 thousand votes submitted by mail from various categories, including soldiers, diplomats and patients in hospitals, the final results can be published in a day or two.

After the results are confirmed, President Isaac Herzeg will consult with all political groups and invite the leader who, according to his assessment, is more likely to succeed in forming the government. This process could take a few weeks.

If efforts fail, new elections will eventually have to be held, reports the BBC.

Source Layer: RTKLive