Israeli Election Exit Polls Put Anti-Netanyahu Camp 'Ahead'

The anti-Netanyahu camp has taken a narrow lead in the general election, which will determine whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power. However, neither camp is expected to win a majority, setting the stage for intense negotiations over the formation of the next coalition government.

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According to The Times of Israel and other outlets, exit polls released by local broadcasters immediately after voting ended at 10 p.m. on the 27th (local time) showed the anti-Netanyahu camp leading the pro-Netanyahu camp by two to three seats.

A Channel 12 exit poll projected that four Jewish opposition parties aligned against Netanyahu would win 52 of the 120 seats. The pro-Netanyahu camp, including the ruling Likud party led by Netanyahu, was projected to win 50 seats.

By party, Likud was expected to win the most seats, with 24. The Yashar party, led by former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, followed with 22.

A Channel 13 exit poll also showed the anti-Netanyahu camp narrowly ahead, with 53 seats compared with 50 for the pro-Netanyahu camp.

However, neither side is expected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority and to form a coalition government. As a result, Arab parties have emerged as a key factor in determining the makeup of the next government.

The Channel 12 poll projected that the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List would win seven and 11 seats, respectively. Channel 13 projected that Arab parties would win a total of 17 seats.

One foreign media outlet reported that, as neither camp is expected to secure a majority, negotiations to form the next government could continue for several weeks.

The election also saw high turnout. According to Israel's Central Elections Committee, turnout had exceeded 74% as of 8 p.m. that day, 8 percentage points higher than at the same time during the 2022 general election.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.