Israel Opponent Lapid congratulates Netanyahu on election victory

Israel: Opponent Lapid congratulates Netanyahu on election victory

The state of Israel is above all political considerations, liberal Yair Lapid wrote on Twitter after a phone call with Netanyahu. He wished her “happiness for the good of the Israeli people and the State of Israel”.

Right-wing conservative opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu won parliamentary elections in Israel after all votes were counted. His right-wing religious camp managed to secure a majority of 64 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, as several Israeli media outlets reported on Thursday night. The 73-year-old Likud party has become the strongest force with 32 seats in parliament. They are followed by Liberal Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s Future Party with 24 seats.

Lapid congratulated his political opponent on his election victory in the evening. The State of Israel is above all political considerations, he wrote on Twitter after a phone call with Netanyahu. He wished her “happiness for the good of the Israeli people and the State of Israel”. He instructed all departments in the prime minister’s office to prepare for an orderly transfer of power.

Official final result on Wednesday

For the first time in Israel’s history, a far-right coalition ranked third. The Zionist Religious Party of Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir is considered the king of Netanyahu and won 14 seats. The left-liberal Meretz party and the Arab Balad party fell short of the 3.25% barrier.

On Tuesday, the people of Israel voted on the composition of the Knesset for the fifth time in just three and a half years. Turnout was still comparatively high at 71.3%. The current eight-party coalition collapsed in June after losing its majority after just 12 months.

The official final result will be announced next Wednesday. President Yitzhak Herzog then has until November 16 to nominate a candidate to form a government. He has 28 days to do this, with a possible extension of another 14 days.