No clear majority in parliamentary elections in Israel

According to forecasts, no clear majority in parliamentary elections in Israel As of: October 28, 2026 • 12:55 a.m

According to forecasts, neither Prime Minister Netanyahu nor his main opponent Eisenkot will achieve a majority in the parliamentary elections in Israel. Eisenkot nevertheless announced that he wanted to form a government.

According to initial forecasts, there is no clear winner in Israel's parliamentary election. According to the TV station Channel 11, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has 25 of a total of 120 seats in parliament. Other TV channels published similar forecasts and see the Likud party with 24 seats. In Channel 11's forecast, the centrist Jashar party of ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot comes in second with 21 seats.

However, neither Netanyahu's camp nor the camp of his political rivals - each consisting of several parties that had joined forces in an alliance - achieved an absolute majority. According to the forecasts, Eisenkot's camp is about three mandates ahead of Netanyahu's camp, which only has 50 of a total of 120 seats in parliament. The formation of a government and who will appoint the future prime minister is therefore completely uncertain.

The Arab parties appear to be making significant gains. According to Channel 11's forecast, the Islamic conservative Raam party would get seven seats, the left-wing United List would get ten seats. Arab parties could help a governing coalition gain a majority in parliament.

Eligible voters in Israel vote on a new parliament. The polls show a close race. more

The Israeli opposition sees the election result as a defeat for Netanyahu. Opposition leader Jair Lapid said, according to his office: "Don't let anyone confuse you: the Netanyahu bloc has suffered a crushing defeat." He spoke of a "total collapse" and said the public had "sent Netanyahu's camp home."

The leader of the left-liberal Democrats, Jair Golan, also said the public had "fired the Netanyahu government." There is now a “historic opportunity to form a government of real change in Israel.”

Netanyahu's challenger Eisenkot said, according to his office, that the forecasts indicate "that the majority of Israeli citizens have withdrawn all trust in Netanyahu and the government responsible for October 7th." The ex-military chief announced that he would now "work immediately to implement the will of the voters, replace the Netanyahu government and form a Zionist government as quickly as possible that is committed to conscription for all."

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the opposition's celebrations as premature. "The jubilation of the left is premature. The complacency of the biased commentators – ridiculous," Saar wrote on the online service The Prime Minister has not yet commented on the results.

The Knesset election in Israel is also being closely monitored in the neighboring states of Lebanon and Syria. more

"If things move quickly now, Israel will have a new prime minister by Christmas," reports ARD correspondent Björn Dake from Tel Aviv. "But it doesn't look like it at all." Both Netanyahu and Eisenkot would now try to win over opponents from the other camp.

"The big question is: Is Eisenkot approaching the Arab parties?" According to the forecasts, they would have received significantly more seats than was indicated in the surveys. "If Eisenkot is willing to work with the Arab parties, he would have a clear majority. Then he would be the new Israeli prime minister."

That wouldn't change much in Israel's major foreign policy positions, for example with regard to dealing with the Palestinians, says Dake. Eisenkot also does not stand for a fundamental departure from the settlement policy in the West Bank and is against a two-state solution. "However, he stands for taking tougher action against settler violence and restoring trust in democratic institutions." Dake said he wanted to stop attacks on the judiciary and the press.

Netanyahu or Eisenkot - Who will prevail in the parliamentary elections in Israel? Pia Steckelbach, ARD Tel Aviv, tagesthemen, Das Erste, October 27, 2026 • 9:45 p.m. High voter turnout recorded The polling stations closed at 9:00 p.m. A voting extension requested by Netanyahu's Likud party was rejected by the electoral commission. Around 7.3 million eligible voters were called upon to choose the 120 members of the Knesset.

According to its own information, the Central Election Commission recorded the highest voter turnout in decades by 7:00 p.m. CET. Two hours before the polling stations closed, 74.3 percent of the approximately 7.3 million eligible voters had cast their vote. At the same time in the last election four years ago it was 66.3 percent. A total of 70.6 percent of those eligible to vote voted at that time.

When the polls closed at 9 p.m., voter turnout was 77.7 percent, the highest level in more than two decades. This corresponds to 5,695,682 voters.

Preliminary results are expected in the coming hours, with final results in the coming days.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Forecasts point to political stalemate in Israel | Oct 27, 2026 | 9:51 p.m