Netanyahu’s the winner, exit polls show; highest turnout in decades

The biggest winner was the Religious Zionism party led by Betzalel Smotrich, which won 14-15 seats according to exit polls.

By World Israel News Staff

Opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is on his way to election victory with a projected win of 61-62 seats, if exit polls for Israel’s fifth vote in three-and-a-half years are to be believed.

According to the polls, which often prove to be wrong in the following days, Netanyahu’s Likud party has secured the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.

The current government, led by Prime Minister Yair Lapid, has only secured between 54-55 seats.

The Arab Hadash-Ta’al party secured four seats according to all exit polls conducted by the broadcast networks. The exit poll results themselves change as the night goes on.

Likud won between 31-33 seats, according to Channel 11 and Channel 13 respectively.

Lapid’s Yesh Atid party won between 22-24.

The biggest winner was the Religious Zionism party led by Betzalel Smotrich, which won 14-15 seats according to exit polls.

The headquarters of Otzma Yehudit, Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party running on Religious Zionism’s slate, broke out in raucous celebrations as men danced and waved Israeli flags.

The anti-Zionist Arab nationalist Balad party, which aims to get rid of the Jewish character of the state and instead calls for a “state for all its citizens,” did not cross the electoral threshold according to the exit polls.

However, if that changes tomorrow, that will also reshuffle the whole outcome and may affect the Netanyahu-held majority.

Voter turnout was the highest in more than two decades, with 66.3% percent of Israel’s 6,453,255 eligible voters casting their ballots by 8 p.m – two hours before the polling stations closed.

Arab cities had the lowest turnout, falling under 50% according to estimates.