The counting of votes for the parliamentary elections held in Israel on October 27 has been completed. However, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition failed to win a majority in this election. According to the final official election results released by the Central Election Committee (CEC), Netanyahu’s group won 53 seats in the next Knesset (Parliament), while the opposition group trying to oust him won 48 seats. Arab parties won a record 19 seats. Without the support of these Arab parties, the two groups could not reach the 61 seats required for a majority.

Let us tell you that a majority of at least 61 seats is required to form a government in Israel’s 120-member parliament ‘Knesset’. However, the final results did not give a clear mandate to any one group.

Final tally of seats

• The pro-Netanyahu faction (right-wing coalition) won 53 seats. In which Netanyahu’s Likud party has emerged as the largest party, single-handedly winning 27 seats.
• While Usenkot group (Opposition) got 48 seats. Eisenkot’s ‘Yashar’ party has won 21 seats.
• Arab-led parties (Rum and Joint List) won 19 seats. This is a historic advantage for the Arab parties.

Arab parties became ‘kingmakers’, controversy escalated

The Arab coalition, which won 19 seats in the hung parliament, is now in the role of kingmaker. However, most Jewish parties in traditional Israeli politics have avoided coalitions with Arab-led parties.

Here, the political tension has increased with the election results. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Arab parties of election rigging and foreign interference. However, Central Election Committee (CEC) Acting Director General Dean Livan has dismissed the allegations and clarified that the election was conducted in a completely legal and transparent manner and that there was no systematic evidence of irregularities.

What will happen next? 3 Possible Ways of Government Formation

With no coalition able to cross the 61 mark on its own, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will soon begin talks with leaders of all parties. After this, they will invite the leader with the best chance of proving a majority to form the government. Three paths are visible in the current scenario.

• Manipulations for attachment: Netanyahu or Gadi Eisenkot may try to break away disgruntled leaders of smaller parties or opposition camps and bring them to their side.
• Government of National Unity: To provide stability to the country, Netanyahu’s and Eisenkot’s factions could form a common ‘unity government’ together. However, given the opposition’s anti-Netanyahu stance, his path is extremely difficult.
• Chances of re-election: If either party fails to form a coalition government within the stipulated time frame, Israel could face fresh elections again within a few months.

Benjamin Netanyahu will remain the country’s caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed and a new prime minister is sworn in. However, during this period, the government under him will not be able to take any major or far-reaching policy decisions.