(Axios) Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc is projected to win a narrow majority in Tuesday’s elections, according to early exit polls published by the country’s three main television channels.
Why it matters: The exit polls are not official results and could change as votes are counted. If Netanyahu’s bloc wins a 61-seat majority in the Knesset, he will be able to form a coalition that could pass laws and take steps to stop his corruption trial.
State of play: While Channel 12’s projection gave Netanyahu’s bloc a 61-seat majority based on early exit polls, Channels 11 and 13 gave it 62 seats.
- Yes, but: The results of the exit polls are similar to the results in the March 2021 elections. At that time, the real results ended up only giving Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc 59 seats.
Between the lines: The Jewish supremacist “Religious Zionism” party was projected to win up to 15 seats based on the early exit polls on Tuesday.
- If that holds true for the official results, it will mark an unprecedented rise for the extreme right.
