Exit polls indicate there is no clear winner in the Israeli election, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's fate uncertain and signalling continued political deadlock. The polls were held on March 23, a highly charged referendum on Netanyahu.
The polls on Israel's three main TV stations on Tuesday showed Netanyahu and his religious and nationalist allies, as well as the diverse array of opponents, both falling short of a parliamentary majority. That could set the stage for weeks of paralysis and even an unprecedented fifth consecutive election. Exit polls are often imprecise and the official results may not be known for days.
The exit polls conducted by Channels 11, 12 and 13 were nearly identical, showing Netanyahu and his allies with 53-54 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel's parliament. His opponents were projected to win 59, and Naftali Bennett's Yamina party was projected to win 7-8.
Netanyahu claims victory
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is claiming a "great victory" for his right-wing bloc in Israel's parliamentary elections, despite the still inconclusive results. In a statement on Facebook late Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israelis have "given a great victory to the right and to the Likud under my leadership".
If the final results are in line with the exit polls, both sides will have to court Bennett, a former Netanyahu ally with strained relations with the prime minister, to form a majority of at least 61 seats.
Bennett shares Netanyahu's hardline nationalist ideology but has signalled he would be open to cooperating with his rivals if given the chance to be the prime minister. The election is widely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's divisive rule, and once again, opinion polls had forecast an extremely tight race.
The three-month campaign was largely devoid of substantive issues and focused heavily on Netanyahu's personality and whether he should remain in office.
"Vote, vote, vote, vote, vote," Netanyahu said after casting his ballot in Jerusalem, his wife, Sara, at his side.
-Inputs from agencies
