Israel election result: record turnout leaves no clear winner

The Israel election result is still unsettled after a record turnout on Tuesday, 27 October. No party won a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, according to NPR.

The Central Elections Committee said 77.7 percent of eligible voters cast ballots by 10 p.m. That is the highest rate since 1999. Spanish outlet Primicias, citing the same figures, put the total at 5,695,682 voters. It is almost eight points above 2022.

We covered the build-up in our polling-day report. This piece covers only what changed after the polls closed.

What the Israel election result looks like so far

Early exit polls suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud won the most seats as a single party. Gadi Eisenkot’s new Yashar party came second. NPR described the race as tight, with the lead shifting.

Primicias reported exit-poll projections for the blocs. They put Eisenkot’s opposition bloc at 52 to 53 seats and Netanyahu’s outgoing coalition at about 50. Arab parties were projected at 17 to 18 seats, a record. The same report said Likud could lose about eight seats compared with 2022.

These are projections, not final counts. Final tallies were expected on Wednesday. We will not treat any seat number as settled until the committee publishes it.

Why no majority matters

A bloc needs 61 seats to govern. On the projected numbers, neither side reaches that line. Arab-party support could therefore be decisive, although both leaders have rejected working with those parties.

Forming a government could take days or weeks. Under Israeli practice, the president picks who gets the first chance to build a coalition.

Both camps claimed momentum. Eisenkot said the public had voted for change. Likud promised a strong right-wing government. Analyst Shira Efron of the Rand Corporation called the early picture a good outcome for Eisenkot.

The wider context

This was the first parliamentary election since the October 2023 Hamas-led attack. President Donald Trump publicly endorsed Netanyahu before the vote. He urged Israelis to re-elect him.

The high turnout suggests voters saw the stakes as unusually large. Netanyahu had also warned supporters about turnout among Arab citizens.

Expect a long negotiation. Small parties near the electoral threshold could still shift the arithmetic once the official count is complete.

Fact basis: NPR (via WFAE) and Primicias, 27–28 October 2026. Seat figures are exit-poll projections and may change in the official count.