Israel Election 2026: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party appears to be getting a major setback in the Israeli elections. The preliminary results announced during the election counting have added to the party’s woes. After nearly 90 percent of the votes were counted, reports emerged that Likud had won only 26 seats.

The figure is also important for vote counting as the party has not won so few seats in any election since 2009. However, the number of seats may change as the counting progresses, but still the chances of crossing the figure are slim.

61 seats were required to form the government

Elections were held in Israel on 27 October 2026, after which preliminary trends began to emerge during the counting of votes from 28 October. In this election Benjamin Netanyahu A coalition led by the Likud party faces an opposition coalition led by former army chief Gadi Usenkot. Israel’s parliament has a total of 120 seats and 61 seats are needed to form a government. In such a situation, no coalition seems to get a clear majority.

Likud’s poor performance compared to last election

While the performance of Arab parties began to make headlines amid early trends, Netanyahu’s party now appears to be performing weaker than in many previous elections. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has long been a major force in Israeli politics. The party did well in several elections and Netanyahu also ruled the country for a long time. But the current electoral trends show that this time the party is not getting the same support as before.

How many seats did the Likud Party win in each election?

If we look at the Likud Party’s past electoral performance, its position has seen constant ups and downs.

2009: Likud wins 27 seats.
2013: The party fared better and won 31 seats.
2015: Likud won 30 seats.
April 2019: Party performs strongly, winning 35 seats.
September 2019: Likud wins 32 seats.
2020: The party had its best performance in this list with 36 seats.
2021: Likud’s seats drop to 30.
2022: The party makes a comeback and wins 32 seats.

The figures show that Likud, which performed strongly in the 2019 and 2020 elections, continued to win 30 or more seats. If we look at the figures for the year 2019, there were two elections in Israel that year and the Likud party won more than 30 seats in both the elections.

Forming a government is not easy for Netanyahu

The impact of the decline in Likud Party seats is not limited to the party itself. This could also have a direct impact on Netanyahu’s chances of forming a coalition and government. Israel’s parliament has a total of 120 seats and any coalition needs the support of at least 61 seats to form a government.

With nearly 90 percent of the vote counted, the coalition of right-wing and religious parties led by Netanyahu is expected to win 53 seats. At the same time, the main opposition coalition was expected to get 48 seats. An estimate of 19 seats including Arab parties was also revealed. That is, both major coalitions appeared to be behind the required majority figure.

In this situation it may be necessary to get support from other parties to form the government. If Netanyahu is unable to secure a majority with his allies, he may have to forge a new political strategy. However, it is also important for Likud to remain the largest party.

Is Netanyahu’s popularity declining?

Likud’s declining seats are seen as increasing political challenges for Netanyahu. In Israel, issues such as security, economy, military service and government performance have been important in the election. Voter resentment on these issues can affect the performance of the ruling coalition.

However, looking at the number of seats alone cannot determine if Netanyahu’s popularity is the only reason for the decline. Election results are also influenced by coalition politics, the performance of other parties and voter preferences.

For now, the biggest question is how many seats Likud will get in the final results and whether Netanyahu is able to muster the support needed for a majority. It is clear that the preliminary estimate of fewer than 30 seats for the first time since 2009 is a big political sign for Likud.