Benjamin Netanyahu wins Israel election

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.