Israel vote: Polls project Eisenkot leads Netanyahu by four seats
Exit polls will air after Tuesday's vote closes, but the Knesset's final tally is not expected until Friday.
By Stefan Greco ·
Israeli news channels projected a narrow lead for the opposition bloc in the 2026 Knesset election. According to an average of polls from Channels 11, 12, and 13, Gadi Eisenkot's coalition is expected to secure 54 seats. Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc is forecast to win 50 seats. A coalition needs 61 of the 120 parliamentary seats to form a government.
Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time on Tuesday and close at 10:00 p.m. local time. Approximately 7.3 million citizens are eligible to cast ballots. This figure includes 1.2 million Palestinian citizens of Israel. Residents living abroad cannot vote because the country does not offer a general absentee ballot. Diplomats and state emissaries voted on October 20 at Israeli missions.
The election follows three years since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel. That event triggered a war in Gaza. The vote also occurs amid escalating conflict in the occupied West Bank and rising tensions with regional neighbors. Domestic issues influence the campaign, including questions about the security failures on October 7, the handling of captive retrieval efforts, and disputes over ultra-Orthodox military service.
Israel uses a proportional representation system. Voters select a single party rather than individual candidates. Seat allocation is based on the party's share of the national vote. A party must secure at least 3.25 percent of the vote to enter the Knesset. About a dozen parties are expected to cross this threshold. This complicates the final seat allocation.
News channels will broadcast exit poll results shortly after polls close. The Central Elections Committee website will display live data. A clear picture of the results may emerge quickly. However, if no coalition reaches the majority mark, determining the winner could take days or weeks. The final vote tally is expected by Friday. Official results are formally published on November 4.
President Isaac Herzog will speak with party leaders after the final count. He will nominate the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a government. The nominee has 42 days to build a cabinet. No single party has ever won an outright majority in Israel. Governments are formed through coalition negotiations. These talks often last several weeks.
If negotiations fail, the current cabinet remains as a caretaker government. Leaders may attempt to form a minority government or negotiate a power-sharing arrangement. If no workable government emerges, new elections will be called.
Source: Al Jazeera
