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Politics

Exit Polls Show Netanyahu Losing Seats and Trailing Eisenkot as Israel Counts Knesset Votes

Exit polls after voting ended in Israel's parliamentary election put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc below a majority and challenger Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc slightly ahead, leaving Arab parties with a larger share of seats and coalition talks ahead.

By admin Oct. 27, 2026 · 5:44 PM ET 2 min read

A line of people waiting outside a stone building with a blue ballot box by the entrance

Exit polls published after voting ended Tuesday in Israel’s parliamentary election showed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc losing ground and trailing the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, with neither side reaching the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

The vote was Israel’s first parliamentary election since the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. According to the Central Elections Committee, 7,331,981 Israelis were eligible to vote at 12,018 polling stations, with 36 party lists competing, Xinhua reported.

Hands placing a blank white ballot paper into a blue ballot box

What the exit polls show

According to the Kan 11 exit poll, Likud was put at 25 seats and its right-wing alliance at 50, while the “Change” opposition bloc was put at 52 to 53 seats, the New York Post reported. Likud was still projected to win the most votes of any single party, according to all major exit polls.

Arab parties were on pace for 17 seats, up from 10, after higher Arab voter turnout than in the 2022 election, the Post reported. Israeli Arabs make up about 25% of the population, according to the Post.

Eisenkot said in a statement that if the results hold, they would amount to a victory. Fellow opposition leader Yair Lapid said Netanyahu’s bloc had suffered a tough defeat and called the result a total collapse.

Voters standing at gray privacy booths inside a polling station

What happens next

It will take time to count the ballots, and official results should give a clearer picture on Wednesday, according to the Post. Forming a coalition could take three weeks to a month. President Isaac Herzog will select a party leader he believes can win majority support in the Knesset. If the Knesset fails to rally around his pick, a new election would be held. Netanyahu will remain acting prime minister until a new premier is elected.

Voters described the stakes in plain terms. Roy Azulai, 30, a computer engineering student who voted early in Tel Aviv, told Xinhua: “I think this is one of the most important elections the country has ever had.” He added: “We definitely need a change of direction. We’ve had enough of wars and corruption.” Ahia Yedia, 51, a flower shop owner, said he had voted for Likud in most elections since turning 18 and planned to do so again, telling Xinhua: “For me, the decisive issue is security. I know Bibi puts our security first.”

Netanyahu campaigned on his security record and close ties with U.S. President Donald Trump, Xinhua reported. His opponents accused him of failing to take responsibility for the Oct. 7 attack and of deepening political divisions, including by promoting a judicial reform plan.

People walking along a stone street lined with limestone buildings at dusk

Reporting based on coverage by the New York Post and Xinhua.

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