Israelis vote in record numbers as election shows no clear winner

Summarised from 16 outlets · 30 reports · Updated 27 Oct, 21:03 · Archive

Israel's election saw record turnout but exit polls show neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot will secure a majority.

Israelis went to the polls on Tuesday, October 27, in the first national election since the Hamas-led attacks of October 7, 2023. Voter turnout surged to over 74 per cent, marking the highest level since the early 1980s according to Israel's Central Elections Committee, with 70.63 per cent turnout recorded in the previous election in 2022.

Exit polls released by Israeli television networks after voting closed at 10pm local time showed no clear winner. Netanyahu's Likud party was projected to win between 24 and 25 seats, whilst his broader right-wing and religious coalition was forecast to secure around 50 seats. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party was predicted to win between 21 and 23 seats, with his broader opposition bloc projected to win 52 or 53 seats. Arab parties were expected to win between 17 and 18 seats. Sixty-one seats are required to form a government majority.

Netanyahu's Likud party emerged as the largest single party despite the projection that his governing coalition would fall short of a majority. However, the opposition bloc appeared positioned to control more seats overall. The Central Election Committee rejected a request from Netanyahu's Likud party to extend voting hours beyond 10pm, stating that current circumstances did not justify an extension.

The election was widely described as a referendum on Netanyahu's leadership following the October 7 attacks. In the three years since those attacks, Netanyahu has overseen military operations in Gaza that have killed at least 75,000 people, expanded settlements in the occupied West Bank, and led Israel into regional conflicts in which tens of thousands of others have died in Lebanon and with Iran. Netanyahu is currently facing three corruption cases. He is 76 or 77 years old, depending on the source.

Eisenkot, a former chief of the Israel Defence Forces, founded the Yashar party—meaning 'straight' or 'honest'—last year. He served in Netanyahu's cabinet until resigning in 2024 over the prime minister's handling of the Gaza war. He has criticised Netanyahu for the security failures that preceded October 7 and positioned himself as offering a change in direction.

Beforehand, the election drew international attention. United States President Donald Trump issued a statement of 'complete and total' support for Netanyahu, describing him as 'strong, brave and brilliant' and warning that if Israel chose a different leader, America would have to address the Iran threat itself. However, prediction markets showed 60 per cent of bettors backing Eisenkot to become the next premier, compared with 27 per cent for Netanyahu.

The prospect of no clear winner sets the stage for weeks or potentially months of political negotiations. If no coalition can be formed, Netanyahu will remain as caretaker prime minister whilst parties attempt to reach an agreement. Israel's president will then invite the party leader deemed most likely to succeed in forming a governing coalition. Preliminary results are expected on Wednesday, with the official results due to be published on November 4. Arab parties, particularly Ra'am, may find themselves in a kingmaker position, though both major blocs have historically been reluctant to work with them.

How it is being reported

• No clear winner in Israeli election, exit polls showIsrael's major television networks released exit polls as voting closed in its critical election, showing no clear winner. CBS News senior reporter Dov Lieber reports.CBS News · 27 Oct, 20:55
• No clear winner in Israeli election, exit polls showIsrael's major television networks released exit polls as voting closed in its critical election, showing no clear winner. CBS News senior reporter Dov Lieber reports.CBS News · 27 Oct, 20:52
• Israelis vote in their highest numbers in decades in pivotal electionsIsraelis voted in their highest numbers in decades in a tense national election on Tuesday to decide whether to stick with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right coalition or change course.NPR · 27 Oct, 20:45
• Netanyahu’s fate in balance after historic Israeli election with no bloc on course for majorityTurnout surged to a 45-year high in the first verdict on the government since the October 7 attacks in 2023Independent World · 27 Oct, 20:44
• Lebanese and Syrians expect no change in Israeli policy after electionResidents in Lebanon and Syria expect little change in Israeli policy after the election.Al Jazeera · 27 Oct, 20:34
• Israel election: Anti-Netanyahu bloc ahead, but no majorityWhile Netanyahu's party is projected to be the biggest in parliament, the anti-Netanyahu coalition looks set to have more seats. But no bloc has a clear majority.DW News · 27 Oct, 20:21
• No clear winner in Israeli parliamentary election, exit polls suggestNeither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot forecast to secure majority, according to TV surveysFinancial Times · 27 Oct, 20:19
• Exit polls following Israeli elections indicate no clear winnerThe official results are due to be published on November 4, more than a week after the vote.Al Jazeera · 27 Oct, 20:18
• Netanyahu loses seats, trails challenger Gadi Eisenkot in Israel election, exit polls show — here’s what happens nextA clear winner in Israel's elections has failed to emerge Tuesday as both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot lack the majority of seats in Knesset to form a government.New York Post · 27 Oct, 20:14
• Exit polls suggest no clear victor in Israeli electionNetanyahu has spent much of the day calling on supporters to get out and vote, painting the election as a "matter of life and death."Euronews · 27 Oct, 20:10
• Israelis vote in record numbers in first national election since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacreIsrael election exit polls show Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud and Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar locked in a fight with neither bloc reaching 61 Knesset seats.Fox News · 27 Oct, 20:10
• Netanyahu's party to remain largest in Israel's Parliament, exit poll suggestsNetanyahu spent much of the day posting on social media that high Arab turnout is an 'emergency' and a 'matter of life or death' for the Israeli rightThe Mirror · 27 Oct, 20:09
• Netanyahu's future in the balance as Israeli election exit polls show deadlockNetanyahu spent much of the day posting on social media that high Arab turnout is an 'emergency' and a 'matter of life or death' for the Israeli rightThe Mirror · 27 Oct, 20:09
• Israel election 2026 results live: Exit polls show deadlock with no party on track for majorityNeither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main rival Gadi Eisenkot on track for a majorityIndependent World · 27 Oct, 20:07
• Polls close in Israel after 'record voter turnout' in election that could see Netanyahu ousted from powerThe latest polls published on Friday ahead of today's voting suggest the 77-year-old, who has been in power for four years, is almost neck-and-neck with his main rival Gadi Eisenkot.Daily Mail · 27 Oct, 20:07
• Legacy of 7 October looms large as a divided Israel goes to the polls in record numbersBereaved families tell voters to remember the victims while others have flown thousands of miles to cast their ballots Election day in Israel began with a protest by some of the voters with most at stake. Bereaved families of those killed in the 7 October attacks held a minute of silence at 6.29 am, the moment when Hamas launched its onslaught just over three years ago. They gathered in a Tel Aviv plaza that has become known as “hostages square” because it was the centre of demonstrations demanding the return of more than 200 captives from Gaza. Holding pictures of their loved ones, they…Guardian World · 27 Oct, 19:47
• Israel election results live: Exit polls soon as Netanyahu faces tight raceHigh turnout in vote widely described as the most consequential in Israel's history.Al Jazeera · 27 Oct, 19:28
• Israeli elections a 'referendum' on Netanyahu, security and whether Israel will 'remain a democracy'Erin Ogunkeye is pleased to welcome Ron Gerlitz, CEO of aChord at Hebrew University, an Israeli organization specialising in the social psychology of intergroup relations. “The main issue in this election is the fight for Israeli democracy,” explains Gerlitz. And beneath the struggle over democratic institutions lies the erosion of Benjamin Netanyahu's longstanding association with national security. Gerlitz also examines the psychological foundations of Netanyahu's enduring support, the influence of conspiracy narratives, the electoral significance of Arab parties and the uncertain future…France 24 · 27 Oct, 18:34
• Jerusalem Daily: Israeli elections underwayVoting has begun in Israel, with over seven million eligible voters expected at the polls.Al Jazeera · 27 Oct, 18:12
• Why This Election Might Be The Most Pivotal In Israel's HistoryIsraeli voters will head to the ballot box today in the country’s first legislative election since its war with the Palestinian militants Hamas began. The conflict, which broke out on October 7 2023, has engulfed Gaza , while also creeping into Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen – and attracting international condemnation. Now Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is locked in a tense contest with Gadi Eisenkot, the former head of Israel Defence Forces, to hold onto his job. Here’s what you need to know. How Do Israeli Elections Work? The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, has 120 elected members…HuffPost UK · 27 Oct, 17:42
• Israelis vote in a tense election: What's at stake?Israelis were voting Tuesday (October 27) in a tense national election widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the wars that have since shaken the Middle East.France 24 · 27 Oct, 16:59
• Israel elections: voter turnout reaches 55% by 4pm local timeIsraelis flocked to the polls Tuesday (October 27) in turnout unseen in decades, with a deeply divided electorate delivering a verdict on veteran right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the first election since the October 7, 2023 attack. FRANCE24's Kethevane Gorjestani tells us more.France 24 · 27 Oct, 16:52
• Middle East Dispatch newsletter: Election day in IsraelAnshel Pfeffer, our Israel correspondent, on the mood across the country as people voteThe Economist · 27 Oct, 15:10
• Israel votes in decisive election: What happens after polls close?Israelis are voting in a pivotal election Tuesday (October 27) as their country wrestles with unresolved wars, continues to reel from Hamas' 2023 attack and is deeply divided over the character of the state and the right person to lead it. Details by FRANCE 24's International Affairs Editor, Angela Diffley.France 24 · 27 Oct, 14:55
• Turnout high as Israeli voters deliver verdict on NetanyahuIsraelis flocked to the polls Tuesday (October 27) in turnout unseen in decades, with a deeply divided electorate delivering a verdict on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the first election since the October 7, 2023 attack. Former FRANCE 24 correspondent, Irris Makler, tells us more.France 24 · 27 Oct, 14:45
• Israel's election outcomes not likely to change Iran or Gaza wars, former ambassador saysIsraelis are voting in their first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. Former Israeli ambassador to U.S. Michael Oren weighs in on Israel's current political landscape.CBS News · 27 Oct, 14:42
• Israel: Netanyahu supporters gather as PM votesSupporters of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gathered outside a polling station where the leader was voting on Tuesday. This is Israel's first election since the October7, 2023 Hamas attack and is seen as a referendum on Netanyahu. FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali reports from Jerusalem.France 24 · 27 Oct, 14:37
• World awaits results of Israeli election that could replace NetanyahuIsrael holds its first parliamentary election on Tuesday since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks that sparked its war in Gaza to decide if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will remain in office. Matt Gutman reports.CBS News · 27 Oct, 13:32
• Record turnout in Israeli elections, no party forecast to win majorityIsraelis were headed to the polls in the first elections since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and which many believe are a referendum on Benjamin Netanyahu.UPI · 27 Oct, 13:09
• Israeli PM casts his ballot as voters voice opposition to Netanyahu outside polling stationsIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast his vote on Tuesday (October 27) in Israel’s general election. FRANCE 24's Clovis Casali tells us more.France 24 · 27 Oct, 12:42

In this story: Benjamin Netanyahu · Gadi Eisenkot · Israel · Likud · Yashar · Knesset · Gaza · Hamas

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log