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No party has ever won a majority in the 120-member parliament
The Associated Press Posted: Mar 17, 2015 4:13 PM ET Last Updated: Mar 17, 2015 4:37 PM ET
Netanyahu’s party trails in Israel election 2:36
Netanyahu’s party trails in Israel election 2:36
Israel goes to polls 2:37
Israel goes to polls 2:37
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Voting in Israel’s national election has ended, with exit polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a virtual tie with a center-left challenger.
Exit polls conducted by the country’s three major TV stations late Tuesday gave mixed results, showing an extremely tight race between Netanyahu’s Likud Party and opposition leader Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union. Two polls showed the parties deadlocked with 27 seats each, and a third gave Likud a slight lead of 28-27.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his vote during Israel’s parliamentary elections. (Sebastian Scheiner/Associated Press)
All showed the centrist newcomer Moshe Kahlon with enough seats to determine who will be the next prime minister. Kahlon, a Likud breakaway, has not said which side he would favor.
But the true results may not be known for weeks. Israelis vote for parties, not individual candidates. No party has ever won a majority in the 120-member parliament, so after an election, it can take weeks of negotiations to form a governing coalition.
Several smaller centrist and religious parties that have not pledged support for either Netanyahu or Herzog will likely tip the scales to determine who will become prime minister.
Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog cast his vote in Tel Aviv. (Ariel Schalit/Associated Press)
Netanyahu has governed for the past six years and has long been the most dominant personality in Israeli politics.
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