Israel Election: Likud Leads Partial Count, but Neither Bloc Reaches a Majority

With about 85% of votes counted, Likud leads Israel's election with 26 seats, but neither Netanyahu's bloc (53) nor Eisenkot's (48) reaches a 61-seat majority.

Oct 28, 2026 - 14:36

0 6

Israel's Oct. 27 Knesset election has left no clear winner. With most ballots counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud is the largest party, but neither his bloc nor the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot has the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

The results below are partial and unofficial. The Central Elections Committee (CEC) says hundreds of thousands of "double-envelope" ballots, mostly cast by soldiers, police officers, diplomats and others voting away from their home polling stations, have not yet been counted.

The latest count

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the CEC published results covering 85.6% of all votes cast, according to The Times of Israel. That figure, timed at 2:32 p.m. Israel time (8:32 a.m. ET), includes about 93% of ordinary ballots. As of about 2:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 28, it remained the latest count available; the committee had said it did not expect to update the figures again soon.

At that count, seats were distributed as follows:

Likud (Benjamin Netanyahu): 26
Yashar! (Gadi Eisenkot): 21
Joint List (Yousef Jabareen): 12
Together / B'Yachad (Naftali Bennett): 12
The Democrats (Yair Golan): 8
Yisrael Beytenu (Avigdor Liberman): 7
Ra'am (Mansour Abbas): 7
United Torah Judaism: 7
Otzma Yehudit (Itamar Ben-Gvir): 7
Shas (Aryeh Deri): 7
Religious Zionism–Zehut (Bezalel Smotrich and Moshe Feiglin): 6

That adds up to 53 seats for Netanyahu's bloc (Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism–Zehut). The Eisenkot-led bloc (Yashar!, Together, The Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu) has 48. The two Arab-led parties, Ra'am and the Joint List, have a combined 19, which the Times of Israel called a historic high. Ynet and Israel National News reported the same seat distribution.

The Associated Press reported that with 85% of votes counted, Likud had 20.8% of the vote and Yashar 16.1%, and that Arab-led parties together had 14.9%.

Parties must pass a 3.25% threshold to win seats. According to the Times of Israel, three parties were below it at the latest count: the Reservists, led by Yoaz Hendel, at 2.6%; Amcha Yisrael (People of Israel), led by Ofer Winter, at 1.6%; and the Haredi Public at 0.2%.

What the Push post showed

The Israeli news account Push (@push.il) posted an earlier snapshot on Instagram on Oct. 28. Its graphic shows 4,421,561 of 5,695,682 votes counted, or 77.6%. At that stage Push put Likud at 27 seats, Yashar! at 22, Together at 12, the Joint List at 11, The Democrats at 8, four parties at 7 each, and Ra'am and Religious Zionism–Zehut at 6 each. Its bloc totals were 54 for Netanyahu, 49 for Eisenkot and 17 for the Arab parties.

Later counts moved several of those numbers. Likud and Yashar! each lost a seat, while the Joint List and Ra'am each gained one. That cut both main blocs by one seat and raised the Arab parties' total from 17 to 19. In both snapshots, neither bloc reaches 61. Push also stressed that its figures were interim and could change.

Partial counts shifted throughout election night and the following day. Earlier, with 70.7% counted, Ynet reported 54 seats for Netanyahu's bloc, 47 for Eisenkot's and 19 for the Arab parties.

Record turnout

Turnout at the close of polls was 77.7%, up from 70.6% in 2022, the Times of Israel reported. Israel National News said it was the highest turnout since 1999 and cited a figure of 80% for Arab Israelis.

Ballots still to be counted

The CEC said the remaining 7% of ordinary ballots need additional oversight. It initially put the number of outstanding double-envelope ballots at about 600,000, then revised that to an estimated 430,000 to 480,000, according to Ynet and the Times of Israel. The committee stressed that the estimate is preliminary because the envelopes are still being processed. With each seat worth roughly 40,000 votes, the Times of Israel said, these ballots represent about a dozen seats, though its analysis found historical trends suggest they are unlikely to break the deadlock between the blocs. A CEC official told the AP and Ynet that counting would run until Thursday evening. The Times of Israel reported that the full count is due Thursday afternoon, and that final official results are expected on Nov. 4.

Fraud claims and the committee's response

Likud said the election had been "stolen" by Arab parties and demanded an investigation, according to the Times of Israel. Likud has not publicly presented evidence for the claim. In a statement, the CEC said its election-integrity monitoring operation "as it does in every election" would examine all inquiries from parties about alleged errors or irregularities, and that it was reviewing Likud's request.

What happens next

President Isaac Herzog said he expects to receive the official results next week from Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the CEC. He will then consult each Knesset faction about forming a government, the Times of Israel reported.

"We must do everything we can, certainly after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections. So I expect everyone who comes here to come with an open mind," Herzog said.

Under Israeli law, the president gives the task of forming a government to the lawmaker he judges most likely to succeed. That is usually, but not necessarily, the one recommended by the most Knesset members. The nominee has 28 days, which can be extended by 14. If the nominee fails, the president can choose a second lawmaker. If that attempt also fails, 61 lawmakers can ask the president, within a further 21 days, to assign the task to a particular member.

The coalition math is difficult. Netanyahu has called for a "strong, right-wing" government and ruled out partnering with Arab parties. Eisenkot has pledged to form a "Zionist government." Some leaders in his camp have ruled out relying on Arab parties, though Democrats leader Yair Golan has urged a coalition with them. During the campaign, Netanyahu's main rivals ruled out serving in a unity government under him, according to the Times of Israel. Until a new government is sworn in, Netanyahu stays in office as caretaker prime minister.

Official results are expected only after the double-envelope count is finished and the CEC certifies the tally. Seat numbers may still change before then.

Original report: Push (@push.il) on Instagram. iShook Daily verified and updated the figures against the sources below.