(New: more votes counted, Netanyahu winner)
TEL AVIV (dpa-AFX) – After counting almost 85 percent of the votes, a clear election victory of the right-wing conservative opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is emerging in Israel. According to Israeli media reports on Wednesday, his right-wing religious camp secured a majority of 65 of the 120 seats in parliament (Knesset). The Likud party of the 73-year-old, against whom corruption proceedings are ongoing, was said to be the strongest party with 31 seats in parliament. Liberal Prime Minister Jair Lapid’s Future Party came second with 24 seats.
For the first time in Israel’s history, an extreme right-wing alliance made third place. The Religious Zionist Party of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir is seen as kingmaker for Netanyahu.
The left-liberal Meretz party and the Arab Balad party, on the other hand, could fail at the 3.25 percent hurdle. The preliminary final result is expected by Thursday. Voter turnout was comparatively high. When the polling stations closed at 9 p.m. (CET) on Tuesday evening, it was 71.3 percent of the approximately 6.8 million eligible voters.
For Netanyahu, it would be the second comeback to the post of prime minister. In Israel’s history, no one has held office longer than he. The right-wing conservative politician was Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999, then again continuously from 2009 to 2021. With his replacement last year by Naftali Bennett at the head of an eight-party coalition, the Netanyahu era was initially considered over. However, the coalition of parties from the right to the left broke up in June after internal disputes. Foreign Minister Lapid then took over the post of head of government./le/DP/mis