The Central Elections Committee has published the final results for the elections for the 22nd Knesset. The official results will not be published until next Wednesday after irregularities at 14 ballot stations have been fully investigated. But with over 99% of the votes validated, the number of seats allocated to each party is unlikely to change.
Blue & White leads the field with 33 seats followed by the Likud with 31. The Joint Arab List has 13 seats, Shas 9, United Torah Judaism 8, Yisrael Beitenu 8, Yemina, 7, Labor-Gesher 6, and the Democratic Camp 5.
Nine parties is the smallest number ever to be returned in a Knesset election although Yemina has already announced that it will break down into its component parts of the New Right and the United Right.
4,458,167 Israelis voted in last Tuesday's election - 69.72% of the 6,394,030 citizens who had the right to vote.
President Reuven Rivlin will begin consulting with the Knesset factions on Sunday before asking either Blue & White chairman Benny Gantz or Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government. But as things stand, with both Gantz and Netanyahu prepared to relinquish leading any national unity government, weeks of negotiations can be expected, and ultimately another election may be needed.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on September 20, 2019
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