500,000 Ballots Could Reshape Israel’s Knesset as Count Begins
(MENAFN) Israeli election officials began tallying more than 500,000 double-envelope ballots early Thursday, a count that could shift the final allocation of parliamentary seats, with Israel’s public broadcaster reporting that results are expected by Thursday evening.
These ballots are cast by voters outside their assigned polling stations, including soldiers, diplomats, police officers and displaced residents. Officials verify identification details on the outer envelope to block duplicate voting, then detach it from the anonymous ballot inside before counting.
The outstanding votes could alter individual parties’ seat totals and tip the balance between the rival blocs.
With all regular ballots counted, a major Israeli television channel projected that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc would win 53 seats. The opposition bloc, led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, was projected at 48, and predominantly Arab parties at 19.
Neither major bloc was on course to reach the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
The Joint List was projected to take 12 seats and the United Arab List (Ra’am) seven, giving Arab parties a record combined total of 19 seats.
Voter turnout hit 77.7%, the highest since 1999, according to the Central Elections Committee.
These ballots are cast by voters outside their assigned polling stations, including soldiers, diplomats, police officers and displaced residents. Officials verify identification details on the outer envelope to block duplicate voting, then detach it from the anonymous ballot inside before counting.
The outstanding votes could alter individual parties’ seat totals and tip the balance between the rival blocs.
With all regular ballots counted, a major Israeli television channel projected that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc would win 53 seats. The opposition bloc, led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, was projected at 48, and predominantly Arab parties at 19.
Neither major bloc was on course to reach the 61 seats required for a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
The Joint List was projected to take 12 seats and the United Arab List (Ra’am) seven, giving Arab parties a record combined total of 19 seats.
Voter turnout hit 77.7%, the highest since 1999, according to the Central Elections Committee.
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