Initial count covers 78 polling stations
As of 1:00 a.m., votes from 78 polling stations had been counted, totaling 14,433 ballots, Ynetnews reported. Likud received 26.5% of valid votes counted so far, while Yashar received 19.3%.
With just 0.27% of votes counted, a preliminary tally listed the following seat allocations:
- Likud bloc: 66 seats. Likud 35, Shas 5, Otzma Yehudit 11, Yahadut HaTorah 0 and Tkuma 15.
- Yashar bloc: 54 seats. Yashar 26, B’Yachad 11, Democrats 11 and Yisrael Beiteinu 6.
- Arab coalition: 0 seats. Joint List 0 and Ra’am 0.
- Other parties: Amcha Israel, Reservists and the Economic Party, and Noam each have 0 seats.
Local results in Odem and Kfar Galim
Ynetnews reported that in Odem, in the northern Golan Heights, Yashar received 47 votes, followed by Beyachad with 25, the Democrats with 16, Likud with 14, Yisrael Beiteinu with 13 and Religious Zionism with 11.
A total of 141 residents voted, representing 83.9% turnout.
In Kfar Galim, south of Haifa, Yashar received 24 votes and Likud 20. Yisrael Beiteinu received 8, the Reservists party 6, and Beyachad and Otzma Yehudit 4 each.
A total of 73 residents voted, with turnout at 58.4%.
Channel 14 projects a Netanyahu majority
Channel 14 pollster Shlomo Filber’s updated projection estimates that Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu will fail to cross the electoral threshold, with Likud taking 31 seats and Shas 10.
The report accompanying that projection gives Netanyahu’s bloc 62 seats and describes Channel 14 as the only exit poll forecasting a majority for his bloc.
Channel 13 projects 27 seats for Likud
An updated Channel 13 projection gives Likud 27 seats, a reported gain of two, while Yashar loses one seat.
A separate comparison in the accompanying report notes that Channel 13’s poll four days earlier gave Likud 19 seats.
The report describes Arab voter turnout as unprecedented, placing Likud’s projected result in that context.
