Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has again fallen short of a parliamentary majority with his hard-line allies, final election results confirmed Thursday, extending the country’s year-old political deadlock and weakening the longtime leader as he prepares to go on trial for corruption charges.
The embattled Netanyahu had been looking for a decisive victory in Monday’s vote, and initial exit polls had indicated his Likud party and smaller religious and nationalist allies had captured 60 seats, just one short of a majority required to form a new government.
Netanyahu triumphantly declared a ”huge victory.”
But a final count announced by the election commission determined that Netanyahu’s jubilation was premature.
Likud emerged as the largest individual party, with 36 seats, ahead of 33 seats for the rival Blue and White Party. But with his smaller allies, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc captured just 58 seats, well short of the 61-seat majority.
In a video statement, Netanyahu continued to claim victory.
”The Likud and the right won the election in a knockout,” he said.
He accused his opponents of trying to ‘steal the decision from the masses of Israeli citizens who gave the Likud under my leadership a crushing victory.’
While Netanyahu’s opponents control a majority of seats, they are deeply divided, with a hard-line nationalist party and the predominantly Arab Joint List among them. The Joint List captured 15 seats, making it the third-largest party in parliament — its best performance ever.
Those divisions could make it difficult for Blue and White’s leader, former military chief Benny Gantz, to establish an alternative coalition. If neither he nor Netanyahu can form a government, the country would head to an unprecedented fourth straight election.
Monday’s election was the country’s third in less than a year. Previous elections in April and September also ended in deadlock. Although Netanyahu’s Likud had a much better performance than in September, the final results are nonetheless a disappointment for Netanyahu.
The long-serving Israeli leader is scheduled to go on trial March 17 on charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes. He is accused of accepting expensive gifts from wealthy friends and offering favors to powerful media moguls in exchange for positive press coverage.
Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing.