Israel’s general election count showed no clear winner on Wednesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc ahead on 54 seats, well short of the 61 needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.
Neither Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, is on track to secure a majority, according to Israeli media, which means a coalition government will probably be needed.
With the count continuing, Netanyahu’s bloc stood at 54 seats and Eisenkot’s at 49. Arab-led parties held 17. Adding the Arab parties to Eisenkot’s bloc, the anti-Netanyahu camp would have 66 seats.
No single party has ever won 61 seats in Israel. The country now faces a wait of several weeks, possibly months, while coalition negotiations decide who forms the government.
Of 7,331,981 eligible voters, 5,695,682 cast ballots, a turnout of 77.7 percent. Israel’s total population is about 10.3 million.
