Israelis vote for fifth time in four years in hope of breaking deadlock
Final opinion polls published last week showed both leading candidates are short of the 61 seats needed for a majority, opening the prospect of weeks of coalition wrangling and possibly new elections
Israelis will vote for the fifth time in four years on Tuesday. Final opinion polls published last week showed both leading candidates, Prime Minister Yair Lapid, and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, opening the prospect of weeks of coalition wrangling and possibly new elections.
Lapid became Prime Minister in June after agreeing with then Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to dissolve parliament. Lapid has headed the government since.
Lapid and Bennett in June 2021 had formed an unlikely coalition after two years of political stalemate, ending the record reign of Netanyahu. The government of right-wing, liberal and Muslim Arab parties was fragile from the start. With a razor-thin parliamentary majority and divided on major policy issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and state and religion issues, the eight-faction alliance began to fracture when a handful of members abandoned the coalition. The government's parliamentary majority was soon lost.
Reuters contributed to this report
