Looks like Bibi get’s a 5th term
The Guardian reports:
Benjamin Netanyahu was on track on Wednesday morning to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, despite his Likud party winning the same number of seats as his rivals.
With 97% of votes counted, both Likud and the Blue and White party, led by former army general Benny Gantz, had won 35 seats in the 120-seat parliament, the Knesset.
However, results showed Netanyahu would be in a much better position to form a majority governing coalition made up of nationalist, far-right and religious allies. Gantz had fewer potential factions to partner with.
The results at this stage are:
Right 65 seats
- Likud (right) 35 seats
- Shas (ultra-orthodox, right socially, left economically) 8 seats
- United Torah Judaism (ultra-orthodox right) 8 seats
- Yisrael Beiteinu (secular, right, Russian) 5 seats
- United Right (religious Zionists) 5 seats
- Kulanu (centre-right, economic issues) 4 seats
Left 55 seats
- Blue and White (centrist, liberal) 35 seats
- Hadash-Ta’al (communist) 6 seats
- Labor (centre-left) 6 seats
- Meretz (socialist left) 4 seats
- Ra’am-Balad (Arabic) 4 seats
Imagine governing with six parties!