After Israel had cast its vote on Tuesday, the initial prediction poll was not good news for incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu. Benjamin Netanyahu is the current Prime Minister who also happens to be the longest-serving Prime Minister of Israel.
As per the opinion poll, Netanyahu is trailing the Blue and White Party’s Danny Gants. Gants had been a former general of the Israeli Defence Forces. He has been the biggest critic of Netanyahu.
Earlier in April, the Israeli Prime Minister had failed to secure a working coalition forcing the country to go into polling which was held on Tuesday.
As reported in an article by the Hindu, Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the far-right party, Yisrael Beitenu party has made substantial gained in the Knesset. He further demanded that he would like a secular government along with the Blue and White as well as the Likud Party.
Given the predictions, it will be difficult for Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has been seeking a fifth-term, to form a working coalition. As per a report in Al Jazeera, an exit poll gives the Blue and White party a narrow lead with 34 seats while Netanyahu’s Likud party is trailing behind by just one seat. Liberman managed to make substantial gains with ten seats.
If there is no clear winner, the President would give a candidate six weeks to form a government and if he fails to form the government, another candidate would be sought and given the time to form a coalition. If both fail, then the president issues another round of elections to get a clear mandate.
Netanyahu’s failure to secure the government would open him up to a leadership crisis within the party. He recently had made statements which have created a divide in the society. In trying to lure the right-wing voters, the alienation of the liberal voters might have cost him.
Already criticized by many over his statement on annexing Jordon Valley, he has also come under heavy scrutiny for an alleged corruption scandal.
In the current case, Gants is expected to form an alliance with the Labour party and others to keep Netanyahu out of power. He has also said that a partnership with the Likud Party can be considered only if Netanyahu is not in power of the party.
The other salient feature was the high turnout, in the April elections, the voter turnout was 68.5 per cent. This time more voters have come out to vote, most notably would be the increase of Arab Voters who have come out in volumes.
The use of rhetoric and the narrative used by Netanyahu has shown signs of being backfired. The speeches only managed to reign in more Arab voters and alienate the Jewish voter base.
The rejection of the two-state solution ad favouring of the right-wing politics which has riddled the peace process with Palestine is also a factor for the increased turnout.
(Inputs from agencies)