No party is poised to win an outright majority, the polls say
Israel is holding a parliamentary election on Tuesday, its fifth in less than four years, as parties hope to finally break government gridlock and end a prolonged political crisis.
According to final polls, released four days before the vote, the bloc of opposition parties led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to win 60 seats in the Knesset, the country’s parliament, one short of a majority. His main rival, Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and the coalition he leads, is projected to win 56 seats.
Turnout hit 15.9% by 10am local time, Central Elections Committee head Orly Ades said, the highest since 1981, according to the Times of Israel.
Netanyahu, the country’s longest-serving prime minister, who governed in the 1990s and later from 2009 to 2021, was ousted from power last year. A new government was formed under a multiparty deal spearheaded by Lapid’s Yesh-Atid party and Naftali Bennett’s Yamina. The cabinet included members from a wide spectrum of political ideologies, with Bennett and Lapid leading as alternating PMs.
The work of the broad coalition, however, became quickly marred by frequent infighting and revolts by individual MPs. In a major blow to unity, the parliament failed in June to approve the extension of regulations applied to Israeli settlers in the West Bank. Lapid and Bennett announced the dissolution of the Knesset the same month and called for a new election.
“Ihave never believed that Israel is divided into ‘us’ and ‘them,’” Lapid tweeted on Monday. “I am appealing to the voters who did not vote for me in the past and asking you for an opportunity to work together with you.”
He added: “All Israelis deserve the most basic thing: a government of honest and hardworking people.”
Netanyahu urged voters to support him, tweeting: “We are tied, it is all up to you. Go vote right now!”
“I’m a little bit worried. But with the help of everyone who hears us, I hope the day will end with a smile,” Netanyahu told reporters after casting his ballot.
RT (Russia Today) is a state-owned news organization funded by the Russian government. The information provided by this news source is being included by the Libertarian Hub not as an endorsement of the Russian government, but rather because it is being actively censored by Big Tech, Western governments and the corporate press. During times of conflict it is imperative that we have access to both sides of the story so we can form our own opinions, even if both sides are spewing their own propaganda. The censorship of RT, despite likely being a propaganda outfit for the Russian government, reduces our ability to hear one side of the conflict. For that reason, the Libertarian Hub will temporarily republish the RSS feed from RT. Visit https://rt.com
