Israel Election Results 2026: Israel’s parliamentary election held on Tuesday has resulted in a close contest between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc and the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot. Neither side appears to have secured the 61 seats needed for a majority in Israel’s 120-member parliament, the Knesset. However, the final results are still awaited and the available figures are based on early projections and exit polls.

Latest Projections

According to the latest projections, Netanyahu’s camp is leading with around 51-54 seats, while the opposition bloc is trailing with an estimated 48-51 seats, as vote counting continues. Arab parties are also projected to win a combined 18 to 19 seats. These figures may change as more votes are counted. While Likud has emerged as the largest single party in the early estimates, the right-wing bloc is still short of the numbers required to form a government on its own.

Why Is The Process Taking Longer?

The counting is underway, and the process is taking longer as a large number of special votes remain to be checked. These include ballots cast by soldiers, diplomats, police officers, hospital patients and other eligible voters who use special polling arrangements. Counting of envelope ballots have started, however, around 4,30,000 to 4,80,000 double-envelope ballots are still awaiting processing.

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The process takes longer as authorities must carefully verify these votes to prevent duplicate voting. Latest reports indicate that more than 91 per cent of regular ballots had been processed by Thursday morning. The special ballots are expected to play an important role in deciding the final balance of power as in the previous election, these votes had favoured Netanyahu and his allies.

Meanwhile, Eisenkot stated that the public wants political change and warned Netanyahu against using his position as caretaker prime minister or national security concerns to influence negotiations over the next government. On the other hand, Netanyahu’s Likud party has alleged serious election irregularities involving Arab parties, including claims of bribery, threats, violence, forged records and illegal voting practices.

The party said it is submitting evidence to the police, the Shin Bet security service and the Central Elections Committee and has called for a full investigation. The final tallies are expected by Thursday evening or Friday morning, while official results are scheduled for November 4. After the results are announced, President Isaac Herzog will then consult party leaders and decide whom to ask to form a government.

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