Middle East
No clear winner in Israel: exit polls give Eisenkot's bloc 53 seats, Netanyahu's 50
Neither bloc reaches the 61 seats needed in the 120-member Knesset, according to exit polls by Israel's three main TV networks. Turnout topped 77%.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 27, 2026, 22:40 · Updated 18:41 · 2 min read
In brief
- The average of exit polls gives the opposition 53 seats and Netanyahu's bloc 50, short of the 61-seat majority.
- Likud remains the largest party with about 24–25 seats, while Eisenkot's Yashar gets about 22.
- Arab parties, with 17–18 seats, could be decisive; coalition talks are expected to take weeks.
Tuesday's parliamentary election in Israel, the first since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and the war in Gaza that followed, produced no clear winner, according to exit polls released after polling stations closed. The average of polls by Kan 11, Channel 12 and Channel 13 gives the opposition “change” bloc 53 seats, compared with 50 for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc. Arab parties are projected to win about 17 to 18 seats.
Forming a government requires at least 61 of the Knesset's 120 seats. Netanyahu's Likud again emerges as the largest party, with about 24–25 seats, while Yashar, the party of former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, is projected at about 22. The vote was widely seen as a test of Netanyahu's leadership.
Eisenkot: I will act immediately
Eisenkot said he would act immediately to implement the people's decision, replace Netanyahu's government and set up “a Zionist government committed to military conscription” as soon as possible. He called Netanyahu “a caretaker prime minister, without a mandate or the people's trust.” Netanyahu, for his part, said a “strong, right-wing, nationalist government” must be formed and warned against a government relying on Arab parties, which he described as anti-Zionist.
Turnout was high: over 77%, according to the Central Elections Committee, while ATSH (the Albanian Telegraphic Agency) put it at 77.7%, the highest since 1999.
The final result could take days, and coalition negotiations could last weeks. Eisenkot has said he will not govern with Arab lawmakers, but they could support a minority government from outside. Analysts note that the deadlock could keep Netanyahu in power as caretaker prime minister during the talks. Far-right leader Itamar Ben Gvir warned Netanyahu against a unity government with Eisenkot. If no one secures a majority, Israel risks new elections.
