Israeli "Yesh Atid" party leader Gadi Eisenkot called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to retire from political life on Wednesday morning, affirming that Israelis voted against his staying in office. This came in a speech he delivered to his supporters at his party's headquarters, hours after the closing of polling stations in the Knesset elections and the start of vote counting.
Eisenkot clarified that the Israeli people had gone out to hold a referendum on leadership and had decided in favor of change, pointing out that the era of division and incitement had ended. He added that going to another election would be a mistake, affirming his duty to implement the people's will and form a government that represents all of society.
Poll Results
In the same context, exit poll updates showed a tie in seats, with Israeli Channel 13 reporting that Netanyahu's camp secured 51 seats against 51 for the opposition camp, while Arab parties obtained 18 seats. The Likud party won 27 seats, "Yesh Atid" 22, "Israel Beiteinu" 7, and the "United Torah Judaism" alliance 6.
Other polls indicated that Netanyahu's alliance obtained 50 seats against 53 or 52 for Eisenkot's alliance, meaning both camps remain far from the 61-seat threshold required to form a government, opening the door to complex negotiations.
Turnout Rate
For his part, the Israeli Election Committee announced that the voting rate reached 77.7 percent, the highest since 1999, an increase of 7.1 percent over the 2022 elections. Polling stations closed at 10:00 PM local time, with official results expected to be announced on November 4.
Source: Anadolu Agency
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