Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid called Benjamin Netanyahu to congratulate him on his victory in Israel’s election, the prime minister’s office announced Thursday, just under 48 hours after polls closed.
With almost all votes counted, the latest projections show former Prime Minister Netanyahu and allied parties taking 64 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Lapid and his allies are expected to win 51. And Hadash/Taal, an Arab party that would not support either leader, is projected to win five.
Israel’s Central Election Commission later on Thursday announced the final allocation of seats for the 25th Knesset, giving Netanyahu and his potential political allies 64 seats in the legislature, enough for a governing majority.
President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations with politicians to form a new government after the results are officially ratified on November 9, he said on Wednesday.
Netanyahu’s return to the head of government could mean fundamental changes in Israeli society. A Netanyahu government would almost certainly include the new Jewish nationalist Religious Zionism/Jewish Power alliance, whose leaders include Itamar Ben Gvir, once convicted of inciting racism and supporting terrorism.
When asked by CNN on Tuesday about fears he would lead a far-right government if returned to power, Netanyahu responded with an apparent reference to the Ra’am party, which made history last year by becoming the first Arab party ever to have an Israeli as a member. government coalition.
“We don’t want a government with the Muslim Brotherhood, who support terrorism, deny the existence of Israel and are quite hostile to the United States. This is what we will bring,” Netanyahu told CNN in English at his polling station in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu’s allies have talked about changes to the judicial system. This could put an end to Netanyahu’s own corruption trial, where he has pleaded not guilty.
Netanyahu himself has been one of the main issues not only in Tuesday’s election but in the four that have preceded it, with voters – and politicians – split into camps based on whether they want the man known worldwide as Bibi in power. or not.
Part of the difficulty in building a stable government over the past four elections has been that even some political parties that agree with Netanyahu on issues refuse to work with him for personal or political reasons.
The election was marked by the highest turnout since 2015. The Central Election Commission said 71.3 percent of voters cast ballots, higher than in any of the last four elections that produced deadlocks or short-lived governments.
