This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21152124
The article has changed 8 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Israel election: Benjamin Netanyahu faces poll setback | Israel election: Benjamin Netanyahu faces poll setback |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Exit polls from Israel's election suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing alliance has lost ground to centre-left parties. | Exit polls from Israel's election suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing alliance has lost ground to centre-left parties. |
| As voting ended at 20:00 GMT, they predicted a narrow majority for Mr Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu and other right-wing parties. | |
| However, a high turnout is thought to have benefited Labour and centrists, | However, a high turnout is thought to have benefited Labour and centrists, |
| The centre-left Yesh Atid (There is a Future) party is believed to have come second, followed by Labour. | |
| Mr Netanyahu is expected to seek an alliance with a new nationalist party, Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home). | |
| Supporters at Habayit Hayehudi cheered, threw confetti and waved Israeli flags when the first exit polls appeared on the huge screens at party HQ in Tel Aviv. | |
| "There's no way we'll not be in the coalition," they shouted. They'd hoped for more seats but as newcomers on the political scene here, they see this result as a significant victory. | |
| Habayit Hayehudi's "rockstar" party leader, ultra-nationalist, religious, high-tech whizzkid Naftali Bennett grabbed the headlines before the election with his far-right credentials but Mr Bennett insisted then he could work with anyone in a coalition, for the good of Israel. | |
| Thirty-two parties were competing under a system of proportional representation for the 120-member Knesset. Parties must win at least 2% of the total vote to secure seats. | Thirty-two parties were competing under a system of proportional representation for the 120-member Knesset. Parties must win at least 2% of the total vote to secure seats. |
| According to the exit polls, Likud-Beitenu would get 31 seats, and Habayit Hayehudi 12. | According to the exit polls, Likud-Beitenu would get 31 seats, and Habayit Hayehudi 12. |
| Yesh Atid, led by journalist-turned-politician Yair Lapid, is credited with 18 or 19 seats. Analysts say this is a stunning result for a newcomer. | |
| Labour has also performed well, with a projected 17 seats - up from just seven in the outgoing parliament. | |
| However if the exit polls are confirmed by official results, Mr Netanyahu would be on course to secure a third term in office - but with a majority that is both reduced and more hardline. | |
| Likud-Beitenu's dominance on the right has been challenged by Habayit Hayehudi, led by millionaire businessman Naftali Bennett - Mr Netanyahu's former chief-of-staff. | |
| He has advocated annexing large parts of the occupied West Bank and rejected the idea of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. | |
| The process of forming a government may take several weeks. |