JERUSALEM — Israel's election has ended in deadlock: with almost all ballots counted, neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor ex-military chief Gadi Eisenkot's bloc has the 61 Knesset seats needed to govern, according to CNN.
The Central Elections Committee said 99.9% of ballots had been counted by Thursday evening, the Times of Israel reported. Official final results are not expected before November 4.
How the seats break down
Netanyahu's right-wing and religious bloc is projected at 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, CNN reported. That is eight short of a majority and 15 fewer than in the outgoing parliament.
Eisenkot's opposition bloc is projected at 48 seats, 13 short of a majority. Arab parties have won 19 seats between them, according to the Central Elections Committee figures reported by Israel Hayom: 11 for the Joint List and 8 for Ra'am.
Likud is the largest single party with 27 seats, according to the committee's latest count as reported by the Times of Israel. Eisenkot's party, Yashar, has 21.
Why Arab parties matter in coalition talks
The arithmetic gives the Arab parties potential influence. CNN reported that Eisenkot would likely need their support to build a majority, something most Jewish parties have long treated as taboo.
Eisenkot nonetheless framed the result as a win, saying the public had voted for change, according to CNN. He stopped short of declaring outright victory.
What happens next
The remaining uncounted votes are not expected to change the outcome, NPR reported. That clears the way for weeks of coalition negotiations.
Until the Central Elections Committee certifies the final tally, the seat numbers remain projections. Different outlets reported slightly different counts for Netanyahu's bloc at earlier stages, and this report uses the committee-based figure of 53.
