Jerusalem: Israel’s 2026 election results left no political bloc with a parliamentary majority in the 26th Knesset, as the Central Elections Committee (CEC) released the final results on Friday morning, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc winning 53 seats, the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party securing 48, and Arab factions accounting for the remaining 19 seats.
The outcome marked a significant decline in Netanyahu’s coalition, whose constituent parties held 68 seats in the outgoing Knesset, The Times of Israel reported.
The official results are scheduled to be submitted to Israeli President Isaac Herzog on November 4, following the CEC’s completion of final checks into any reported errors or complaints.
Herzog will subsequently hold consultations with each party leader, who will recommend their preferred candidate to form the next government.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding government formation, the newly elected Knesset is set to be sworn in on November 10.
Reports suggest that efforts to form the next government are expected to be challenging and could extend beyond two months, with neither political camp close to securing the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.
The final voter turnout was 77.9 per cent of eligible voters, the highest figure in decades
On Wednesday, Herzog called on political leaders to make every effort to prevent another election, urging those involved in government formation talks to approach the process with an open mind.
“We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections. So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind,” The Times of Israel quoted Herzog as saying.
Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot have maintained that they would be the ones to form the next government.
Earlier this week, addressing supporters at the Likud election headquarters in Jerusalem after the polls, Netanyahu asserted that the right wing commanded a “great majority” among Israel’s “Zionist public” and called for the formation of a “strong right-wing government”.
He also criticised parties willing to cooperate with Arab parties, calling such an arrangement a “shame”.
The Tuesday elections marked the first electoral contest since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, amid significant shifts in the political landscape and the issues shaping voter priorities since the 2022 elections.
(IANS)
