Netanyahu tops Israel vote but weakened by centrists

TEL AVIV, Israel – Benjamin Netanyahu’s rightwing Likud-Beitenu list won a narrow victory in Tuesday’s (January 22) election but was weakened by the unexpectedly strong showing by the centrist Yesh Atid, which campaigned on economic issues.

Exit polls released by Israel’s three main television stations showed Netanyahu’s Likud, which ran on a joint list with the hardline nationalist Yisrael Beitenu, winning just 31 seats, down from 42 in the outgoing coalition.

In second place was Yesh Atid with 18-19, followed by the centre-left Labour in third place with 17.

The far-right nationalist religious Jewish Home party, which had been expected to come third, trailed with just 12.

As the exit polls flashed onto the screen at Yesh Atid’s small campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, the 15 or so activists there burst into cheers of delight and started hugging each other, some of the women bursting into tears, an AFP correspondent said.

“We’re going to change things; we’re going to change things,” they sang out the party slogan, dancing wildly as they chanted over and over: “Yesh Atid” — Hebrew for “there is a future.”

Although Israel’s political system does not specify that the party with the most votes is guaranteed to form the next coalition, Netanyahu is widely expected to be handed the task of pulling together 61 MPs to form a majority.

Final results, which must include votes cast by Israeli troops, are not due out for another week.

In a statement released on Facebook shortly after the polls closed, Netanyahu thanked the Israeli public for reelecting him for a second consecutive term in office and pledged to build a coalition which was “as broad as possible.”

“Based on the results in the exit polls, it’s clear the citizens of Israel determined they want me to continue as prime minister, and that I form a government as wide as possible,” he wrote, saying he would start to work on a broad coalition immediately.

He also called Yair Lapid, telling him: “We have an opportunity to do great things for Israel. The election campaign is behind us, and we can now focus on action for the benefit of all of Israel,” the post said.

Surveys have consistently predicted Netanyahu’s reelection, with pundits suggesting he would preside over a coalition leaning further to the right.

But the exit poll indicated he was likely to preside over a centre-right government.

The new government will have to face key diplomatic and foreign policy questions, including how to handle Iran’s nuclear program, which much of the world believes masks a weapons drive, and a Middle East profoundly changed by the Arab uprisings.

It will also have to tackle the thorny issue of the deadlocked peace process with the Palestinians.

And domestic challenges will be no less pressing, with a major budget crisis and austerity cuts on the horizon, even as Israelis express widespread discontent over spiraling prices.

Final figures put turnout at 66.6 percent after a slow start which gradually picked up speed throughout the days, with long queues seen outside polling stations across the country.

Ahead of the close, there was a lot of noise on Twitter and other social networks about a higher-than-expected showing for Lapid’s Yesh Atid which ran a relatively low-profile campaign focused on economic issues on a platform geared to attract secular Israelis without repelling the religiously-observant.

A popular former TV anchor with a polished look, Lapid has expressed support for drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the military. He has also insisted that all Israelis should earn a living wage, tapping into economic discontent over the cost of living that sparked mass nationwide protests in 2011.

“Bibi failed to realize that Lapid is his main rival, and not Bennett. Lapid campaigned under everybody’s radar,” tweeted Aluf Benn, editor of the left-leaning Haaretz newspaper, using Netanyahu’s nickname.

Most polls had expected Yesh Atid to garner between 11-13 seats.

Israel’s army radio said that given the results Netanyahu “has no choice but to offer Yair Lapid one of the three major portfolios — defense, foreign affairs or finance.”

Until now, the main surprise element of the largely uneventful campaign has been Naftali Bennett, the charismatic leader of Jewish Home, which opposes a Palestinian state but is still likely to be a partner in the new coalition.

Election day is a public holiday in Israel, and thousands packed Tel Aviv’s beaches to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather, although voting stations were also packed.

“I’m very excited, it’s a great day for democracy,” said 49-year-old Nitza Salman who voted for 49-year-old Lapid

“I hope change will be made today. It is more important than ever. I’m voting for Lapid because I believe in him.” – Rappler.com