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Photo posted, Reuters
Many viewed the elections in Israel as a referendum on whether Netanyahu would remain in power.
The endless results of Tuesday’s Israeli elections indicate that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a hard job to do to secure enough seats for him to remain in power.
After counting about 90 percent of the votes, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc won 59 seats, minus the two seats that separate it from forming a government.
In a surprising development, the United Arab List party “Raam” became a candidate to secure five seats to ensure that Netanyahu would remain in power.
So far, Raam has not announced his position on supporting Netanyahu, an unnatural ally, to form a government, nor his stance on opposition parties seeking to oust Netanyahu from power.
The opposition parties managed to secure 56 seats, according to the latest results of the vote, and although the “Ra’m” party together with them is enough to guarantee the formation of a government, these parties suffer fragmentation and it is unlikely that they will accept work together.
If neither side can form a majority coalition, Israel can head to the fifth elections from April 2019.
The final results of the elections determine, among other things, the course of Israeli-Palestinian relations.
Netanyahu is committed to forming a right-wing government led by Likud.
Netanyahu, 71, is the longest-serving Israeli prime minister.
The small right-wing party, led by former Netanyahu loyalist Naftali Bennett, can guarantee that Netanyahu remains in power. However, “Yamina” has not yet explicitly stated his position on Netanyahu’s party or the opposition parties seeking to overthrow him.
“I will only do what is good for the State of Israel,” Naftali Bennett said in a statement after the polls closed and the polls were announced.
He stressed that he had told Netanyahu that the New Right would await the final results before deciding on its next move.
Other opposition parties can win 60 seats.
The Central Election Commission does not expect all votes to be counted before noon this Wednesday due to restrictions related to the Coronavirus.
In a tweet on Twitter Tuesday night, Netanyahu said: “Citizens of Israel, thank you … you gave the right wing and the Likud party under my leadership a great victory. Likud is the largest party so far.”
He continued: “It is clear that the majority of Israelis are on the right and want a strong and stable government on the right.”
Turnout was about 67.2 percent of the total electorate, a low percentage compared to the previous elections, but some see it as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership in the country. Netanyahu has been in power continuously since 2009, and had served for the past three years. finished. In the late 1990s.
None of the party leaders was able to form a stable coalition after the previous three general elections.
The current national unity government, which was the result of a power-sharing agreement with Defense Minister Benny Gantz, collapsed last December, just seven months after its formation.
Expectations are that Gantz’s party (Blue and White) will win seven seats. “I will do everything possible to unite the political bloc that supports change,” Gantz said Tuesday, referring to those who do not want Netanyahu to stay.
Netanyahu’s election campaign focused on the campaign to distribute the Corona vaccine and achieve tangible success in vaccination rates of citizens against the Corona virus, as well as emphasizing his diplomatic success in normalizing relations with some Arab countries.
But Netanyahu’s opponents from across the political spectrum argue that he should not remain in office while he is on trial for corruption. These accusations, which Netanyahu completely denies.
