About a week after the parliamentary elections in Israel, the election result has been postponed to a mandate in favor of the Likud Party of the right-wing conservative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Instead of 31, the party received 32 mandates, as the electoral committee announced during the night to today. The background was, among other suspected fraud in six polling stations, the results of which would be disqualified.
However, the strongest force remains the center-alliance blue and white of former military chief Benni Ganz with 33 out of 120 seats. The strictly religious party United Torah Judaism slipped according to electoral committee from eight to seven seats. Thus, neither the center-left camp nor the right-wing religious bloc have the necessary majority of 61 mandates.
Final result expected today
In Israel, given the tight start of the election about a week ago, there is political uncertainty. Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ganz have both voted for a grand coalition. However, there is still disagreement over who should lead them.
Today, President Reuven Rivlin should receive the official final result of the election. In the evening Ganz and Netanyahu wanted to meet again with the president. After that, Rivlin has to decide who of the two he is charged with forming a government. Netanyahu had formed a bloc right after the election with the right and religious parties and insists on including them in a government alliance. However, Ganz had announced before the election that he wanted a secular grand coalition.
