Official results
showed the Likud party led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has won
a clear victory in Tuseday’s elections, with 99 percent of votes counted early
Wednesday morning.
According to
the official up-to-the-minute tally, the Likud won 29 seats while the Zionist
Union came in second with 24 seats
Previously,
Netanyahu has already declared victory but opposition leader Isaac Herzog said
he refused to concede.
“Against all
odds we have achieved a great victory for the Likud party and the national camp,”
Netanyahu said during a speech on Tuesday night at the Tel Aviv Convention
Center, citing an exit poll that showed a narrow lead for his party over the
Zionist Union camp led by Herzog.
Netanyahu
said he would act promptly to establish a “strong and stable government” that
would look for the “security and well-being of all Israeli citizens.”
“I’ve spoken
to the heads of the national camp and called them to join me and form a
government as soon as possible, because reality does not take timeout,” Netanyahu
said.
Under
Israel’s proportional representation system, voters vote for parties rather
than individual candidates. The prime minister would be the one who could form
a wide and stable coalition with at least 61 parliament seats to its name, not
necessarily the leader of the party that won the most votes.
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