Israeli "Yesh Atid" party leader Naftali Bennett announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "lost" the elections, pointing to the start of communications and coordination among the leaders of what he called the "Change Bloc" with the aim of forming an alternative government. Bennett affirmed during a speech before his supporters that "the people of Israel have spoken: Netanyahu has lost, and the October 7 government must go home."
For his part, Bennett noted that the "coalition of avoidance" had regressed, in his words, "from 68 to 50 seats," adding that they would wait patiently for the actual results because much is still changeable. He affirmed that they would do "everything, without arrogance, to form a Zionist government for the alliance of those who serve, an executive government that manages the state responsibly and serves all the people of Israel."
In the same context, Bennett's statements come amid discrepancies between updates of exit poll samples regarding the balance of power between Netanyahu's camp and "Yesh Atid" party leader Gadi Eisenkot, with neither achieving the majority needed to form the government, which is 61 seats out of 120. The latest update from the Israeli "Channel 12" sample showed Netanyahu's camp securing 52 seats, compared to 49 for Eisenkot's camp, while Arab lists obtained 19 seats.
Other updates from the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and "Channel 13" samples showed the two camps tied at 51 seats each, with 18 seats for Arab lists. According to the "Channel 12" update, Bennett's "Yesh Atid" party obtained 12 seats, while the Israeli Broadcasting Authority and "Channel 13" samples granted it 13 seats. On Tuesday evening, the Israeli Election Commission announced that the voting rate reached 77.7 percent, an increase of 7.1 percent over the 2022 elections, the highest since 1999.
Sources indicated that polling stations closed at 10:00 PM local time (20:00 UTC), after which the vote counting process began. Exit poll samples do not represent the official results of the elections, which witness discrepancies in expectations regarding the formation of the next government.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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