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Exit polls show deadlock as blocs miss 61 seats

By Drooid · Oct 28, 2026, 10:08 UTC · How we work

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Summary

Israel held a parliamentary election on Oct 27, 2026, with voters casting Knesset ballots.
Exit polls showed both blocs fell short of the 61 seats needed, suggesting deadlock.
The Central Elections Committee reported a 77.7% turnout, the highest since 1999.
Likud got about 50 seats, Eisenkot’s Yashar bloc 51-52, Arab parties 17-18.
President Isaac Herzog will ask leader able to form a 61-seat coalition after U.S. President Donald Trump endorsed Netanyahu.

History

Israel’s first direct prime-ministerial vote in May 1996 saw Benjamin Netanyahu win by just 29,457 votes, leading a 32-seat Likud-Gesher-Tzomet coalition that depended on several small parties. Decades of low electoral thresholds kept the Knesset fragmented, and the 27 Oct 2026 election reproduced that pattern: Likud secured roughly 50 seats while the Yashar bloc held 51-52, forcing President Isaac Herzog to negotiate a coalition amid external endorsements.

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Historical Context

Israel’s first direct prime-ministerial vote in May 1996 saw Benjamin Netanyahu win by just 29,457 votes, leading a 32-seat Likud-Gesher-Tzomet coalition that depended on several small parties. Decades of low electoral thresholds kept the Knesset fragmented, and the 27 Oct 2026 election reproduced that pattern: Likud secured roughly 50 seats while the Yashar bloc held 51-52, forcing President Isaac Herzog to negotiate a coalition amid external endorsements.

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