Israel's Election Exit Polls Show No Clear Winner

Exit polls after Israel's national election on Tuesday, October 27, showed no clear winner, and Israelis faced the prospect of weeks of political gridlock, according to the New York Times.

Partial official results were also inconclusive. With 76.8% of ballot boxes counted, the Central Elections Committee, the body that runs the vote, had published figures giving the Likud-led bloc, a grouping of parties, 54 seats. That is short of a majority in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Times of Israel reported those figures.

Benjamin Netanyahu, who was Prime Minister and was leading a far-right government at the time of the vote, called for "strong" and "right-wing" rule after the deadlock became clear, according to Reuters. His main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, spoke of a "new era" in the same stalemate.

The vote was Israel's first since the October 7 attack, a point Reuters made in its pre-election coverage. Iran was a central issue in the campaign, and turnout had reached its highest level at that stage of voting as polls neared closing, according to Iran International.

For the countries around Israel, the outcome offers limited prospects for change. The New York Times, in analysis of the election's implications for Israel's neighbours, said the vote offers "little hope of a reset" in relations. A separate analysis published by The New Arab argued that the election may end Netanyahu's rule but is unlikely to fundamentally change Israel's long-term approach to the Middle East.

Final results are not yet known. Israel's Central Elections Committee timetable lists November 4 for publication of results from the 26th Knesset elections.