Polls show Netanyahu's Likud has won 31 seats in the 120-seat Knesset Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud-Beitenu list won a narrow majority in Tuesday's election following an unexpectedly strong showing by the centrist Yesh Atid, according to the latest exit polls.The polls, released by Israel's three main television stations, showed Netanyahu's Likud -- running on a joint list with the hardline Yisrael Beitenu -- winning just 31 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, 11 seats fewer than the 42 seats they won in the 2009 election. Likud-Beiteinu was surprisingly followed by the centrist coalition Yesh Atid with 18-19, while the Labour Party came in third place with 17.
The far-right nationalist religious Jewish Home party, which had been widely expected to take second place, won only 12 seats.
The projections showed right-wing parties with a combined strength of 61-62 seats against 58-59 for the centre-left.
The centrist Yesh Atid party, led by former television talk show host Yair Lapid, was the election's big surprise, coming in second and noted as "a stunning result for a newcomer to politics" in a field of 32 contending parties.
Lapid may decide the identity of Israel's new Prime Minister as he can pave the way for a centrist-leftist government if he allies with the left, or a centrist-rightist one if he decides to side with Netanyahu.
The once dominant Labour party led by Shelly Yachimovich, who has previously refused to participate in a Netanyahu administration, was projected to take third place with 17 seats.
The election registered a higher turnout than that of the 2009 election which was 41.9 percent, while the recent election registered a 46.6 percent turnout until 1600 hrs local time. This relatively high turnout was not reflected in Arab-inhabited areas, where the turnout did not exceed 10 percent anywhere.
Speaking to Arabstoday, 56-year-old Arab-Israeli citizen Hoda Hussein said she voted for the Arab candidate Haneen Zoabi [The Arab Home Party], as she believes Zoabi can strongly represent the Arab voice in the Israeli legislature, "plus the advantage of her being a female candidate."
Another Arab citizen, 26-year-old Roshdi Alian said he was frustrated to see such a weak participation from the Arab community in the election, adding that he voted to the candidate Ahmed Taubi "who always defended the Arab rights," and represents a voice that can make a balance with the extremism of any looming Netanyahu coalition.
Election analysts have interpreted the results as a rejection of Israel's current domestic situation, rather than its foreign policy. While Netanyahu's Likud campaigned on the positives of Israel's economy, Yesh Atid campaigned on the negatives. Meanwhile, some exit polls suggested just five percent of voters were concerned about a war with Iran.
It is understood a new coalition will be formed over the course of the next six weeks.