Jerusalem – Exit polls from Israeli elections showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its nationalist and religious allies deadlocked with the center-left Zionist Union, an Arab alliance and more dovish parties.
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But Netanyahu appeared to be in a slightly better position to form the next government.
The upstart centrist Kulanu party has emerged as the kingmaker in the elections, and could tip the scale in favor of either Netanyahu or Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog, as the two compete for a chance to form a coalition that commands a majority in the 120-member parliament.
Here are the results of the exit polls, conducted by pollsters on behalf of Israel’s three television stations, listed according to the number of seats that each party appears to have won. Final results are expected Wednesday.
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RIGHT-RELIGIOUS PARTIES:
LIKUD
Channels One and Ten: 27
Channel Two: 28
JEWISH HOME
All Channels: 8
ISRAEL BEITENU
All channels: 5
SHAS
All channels: 7
UNITED TORAH JUDAISM
All channels: 6
YAHAD
Channel One: 4
Channels Two and Ten: 0
TOTAL RIGHT-RELIGIOUS PARTIES:
Channel Ten: 53
Channel Two: 54
Channel One: 57
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CENTER-LEFT-ARAB PARTIES:
ZIONIST UNION
Channel Two: 27
Channel One and Ten: 26
MERETZ
All channels: 5
YESH ATID
All Channels: 11
(ARAB) JOINT LIST
Channel One: 12
Channels Two and Ten: 13
TOTAL CENTER-LEFT-ARAB PARTIES:
Channel One: 54
Channel Ten: 55
Channels Two: 56
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KULANU, which could join either bloc in forming a government:
Channel One: 9
Channels Two and Ten: 10