Early exit polls give Benjamin Netanyahu the lead following the conclusion of Israel’s election. According to initial reports, the ruling Likud party secured 55 seats, compared to 49 seats for Gadi Eisenkot’s Yesh Atid party. Channel 12 reported the preliminary figures, while the drama extends beyond the two rival camps — with Arab parties also playing a critical role in the outcome.
A remarkable voter turnout of 74.3% of the total population cast ballots in Israel’s elections — up from 70.63% in 2022 — as the first exit polls were released. Polling stations closed at 8:00 PM local time (10:00 PM Greek time), with the ruling Likud party and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejecting calls to keep polling stations open for voters who wished to vote but may not have made it in time, describing such a move as an obstruction of justice.
The elections concluded under a cloud of mutual accusations. Outgoing Prime Minister Netanyahu alleged electoral fraud by opposition parties, as reports emerged that three senior officials from Mansour Abbas’s Raam party were caught attempting to bribe voters. For his part, Abbas and Gadi Eisenkot — whose Yesh Atid party many believe could unseat Netanyahu — accused the Prime Minister of spreading propaganda aimed at contesting an imminent electoral defeat.
