Tied: Left and Right Knesset Blocs Locked at 60 Each

With 99% of the votes counted from yesterday’s election for the 19th Knesset, the left and right blocks are evenly matched at 60 seats each.

The joint Likud-Beytnenu list, led by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Avigdor Liberman, plummeted from 42 seats in the outgoing Knesset to 31 seats.

As reported yesterday by Matzav.com Israel, the  big gainer is political newcomer Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid party is on 19 seats.

The voter turnout was 66.6%, 1.4% higher than in the 2009 election, but lower than seemed likely at the earlier stages of voting yesterday, reported Globes.

Labor, under Shelly Yachimovich, has 15 seats (compared with 13 in the outgoing Knesset).

Habayit Hayehudi, under Naftali Bennett, earned 11 seats.

Shas got 11 seats.

United Torah Judaism is believed to have gotten 7 seats (compared to 6 before).

Meretz garnered 6 seats (compared to 3 before).

Tzipi Livni’s Hatenuah got 6 seats.

Chadash has gotten 4 seats again.

Ra’am-Ta’al has earned 5 seats (compared to 3 before).

National Democratic Assembly has 3 seats (compared to 4 before).

Kadima plummeted to 2 seats (compared to 28 prior).

Otzma L’Yisroel will apparently have no representative in the Knesset.

The votes that remain to be counted are mainly from soldiers.

One outcome that is clear is that about 60 current members of Knesset have lost their seats, which can be seen as a large vote of no confidence by the public in the Knesset.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page after the announcement of the exit poll results: “I wish to thank the millions of Israeli citizens who exercised their democratic right today. According to the exit polls, it is clear that the citizens of Israel have decided that they want me to continue to serve as the prime minister of Israel, and I shall form as broad a government as possible. The emerging results represent a great opportunity for many changes for the benefit of all citizens of Israel. The election campaign is behind us, and we have many complex challenges ahead of us. This evening, I shall begin efforts to form the broadest government possible.”

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau, with reporting by Globes}