Parliamentary elections are underway in Israel

Election procedure and deadlines

Parliamentary elections are underway in Israel. After the voting concludes, television channels will publish exit poll results, which will be followed by the counting of votes. According to Reuters, the final vote count should be completed by October 30, and the official results will be published on November 4. Imedi+3

After summarizing the election results, Israeli President Isaac Herzog will meet with party leaders and task the candidate who has the best chance of forming a coalition with the formation of a government. The candidate will have 42 days to form a government. In the event that a government cannot be formed, new elections may be called, and the incumbent cabinet will continue to work with the status of acting government. Imedi+1

Political context

One of the main intrigues of the election is the issue of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remaining in power. According to Reuters, Netanyahu is fighting for political survival because the October 7 attack damaged his reputation as a guarantor of security. Netanyahu's main rivals are named as Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, and Avigdor Lieberman. Imedi+2

According to Publika, Netanyahu is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes in Gaza, which he denies, as well as the corruption charges pending against him in Israel. According to the same source, Netanyahu stated that in case of victory, he wants to form a "broad national" government. Publika+1