Israel's count puts Likud first, with neither bloc at 61 seats

What happened

The partial count of Israel's Knesset election of Tuesday 27 October put Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud first, with neither main bloc at the 61 seats a majority needs, the Central Elections Committee's figures showed. ^{[1, 2]}

The committee had counted 4,026,049 votes at 10:56 a.m. on Wednesday 28 October, Israel time, JNS reported, with Likud at 20.68 percent and Eisenkot's Yashar at 15.97 percent. On partial results, Israeli media projected 54 seats for Netanyahu's bloc, 47 for Gadi Eisenkot's bloc and 19 for the Arab parties, JNS and Ynet reported. ^{[1, 2]}

Why it matters

With neither bloc at 61 of the 120 seats, the next government depends on coalition talks after the official results, JNS reported. Tel Aviv shares opened lower on Wednesday, with insurance, property and banking shares leading the losses, Ynet reported. ^{[1, 6]}

The polls and the count

The first exit polls at 10 p.m. on Tuesday put Likud first, at 24 seats on Channel 12 and 25 on Channel 13, Ynet and JNS reported. Channel 12 gave the bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu 52 seats to his 50; Ynet and JNS reported Channel 13's figure as 53 to 50, NBC News as 52 to 50. Channel 14 gave Netanyahu's bloc 60 seats, NBC News and JNS reported. ^{[3, 1, 4]}

Revised polls moved toward Netanyahu: Channel 12 put his bloc at 52 to Eisenkot's 49, and Kan and Channel 13 showed a 51 to 51 tie, Ynet reported. His outgoing coalition held 68 seats, CNN reported. ^{[3, 5]}

Parties below the 3.25 percent threshold win no seats, and some stood close to it as counting went on, Ynet reported. Turnout was 77.7 percent, the highest since 1999, according to the committee's figures as CNN reported them. ^{[3, 5]}

What settles it next

More than half a million double-envelope ballots, cast by soldiers and others voting away from their home stations, were expected, the committee's control center head told Ynet. Their count was to start around midnight on Wednesday and end on Thursday evening, Ynet reported. ^[2]

Official results are due by Wednesday 4 November, NBC News and JNS reported. President Isaac Herzog then consults the parties and picks a lawmaker, who gets 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition, JNS reported. ^{[4, 1]}

Who it reaches

Israel's banks, insurers and property companies led Wednesday's losses on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, Ynet reported. The shekel also weakened against the dollar on Wednesday, Ynet reported. ^[6]