Israelis vote in record numbers as election results awaited

Voters in Israel turned out in their highest numbers in decades for Tuesday's general election, with results being counted overnight and the country now awaiting a clear picture of the next coalition government.

Exit polls by Channel 12 showed a closely fought contest between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and the Yashar party led by former army general Gadi Eisenkot. The forecast put Likud on 24 seats in the 120-member Knesset and Yashar on 22, leaving both potential coalitions closely matched and pointing to likely weeks or months of negotiations.

The high turnout included strong participation from Israel's Arab minority, some voting for the first time. At the Nazareth Baptist School, used as a polling station, voters told The National they were keen to use their democratic right to influence national politics. Analysts say the level of Arab participation could give parties representing the minority a kingmaker role in forming the next government, either through joining a coalition or supporting a minority government from outside.

Under Israeli law, the president first tasks one lawmaker with forming a coalition, giving them up to 42 days. If that fails, a second candidate gets 28 days. If both fail, a final 21-day period allows any member of the Knesset to gather 61 signatures. Should that deadline also expire without a majority, the Knesset dissolves and a snap election is held roughly 90 days later.

Mr Netanyahu remains in office during coalition talks. The country has recent experience of political deadlock, having held five elections between 2019 and 2022 as parties struggled to build stable governments.

The vote offered Israelis their first chance to weigh in on national leadership after a four-year term that began with the October 7 attacks and saw security and diplomatic challenges across the region.