No clear winner yet for Israeli key general election - wetin go happun next

Exit poll results show say nobody clearly win Israel general election, as both veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former military chief Gadi Eisenkot no dey on track to get enough seats to form majority govment.

Two Israeli broadcasters don project say Gadi Eisenkot Yashar Party and three oda Jewish opposition parties wey dey inside im "Change Bloc" go win 51 seats for di 120-seat Knesset. Na di same 51 seats dem project for Benjamin Netanyahu im Likud Party and im far-right plus ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies.

But one third broadcaster exit poll give Netanyahu small advantage, as e put im bloc ahead by three seats.

Many tins go depend on di role wey di two Arab parties wey dey di ballot place, wey dem predict say fit win 18 or 19 states.

Voter turnout on Tuesday na di highest in decades.

E tanda at 77.7% wen polls bin close at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT), wey be di highest for dat hour since 1999, di Central Elections Committee tok.

Dem go publish di official results overnight, but dem no go count one estimated 600,000 absentee ballots wey na mostly military personnel cast – e dey around 10% of di total number of votes. Dem no go count evritin finish until Thursday.

Once dem confad di final results, and afta consultations wit all di political factions, Israel president go come invite di party leader wey e believe say get di best chance of success to form a governing coalition – one process wey fit take weeks.

Wetin go happun if no clear winner show for di election?

No party don ever win outright majority for di election, dis one mean say dem dey always form coalition govment.

Dis process dey start afta dem don count di votes finish. Afta den, Israel president go consult wit party leaders, and invite whichever leader e believe say get di best chance of forming a govment.

Dat candidate go get 28 days to form a coalition, although dem fit request a 14-day extension if dem need extra time.

If negotiations fail within dis period, di president fit choose another candidate to try to form dia own coalition.

If dat one too fail, Knesset members fit ask di president to allow a third leader to try. And if dat one too fail, dem go organise new elections.

Between 2019 and 2022, Israel don hold five separate elections as parties bin struggle time and again to co-operate.

Following di 2022 elections, Benjamin Netanyahu Likud bin emerge as di biggest party, e win 32 out of di120 seats.

E later form a coalition wit several far-right parties, wey give am and im allies a majority of 64 seats.

Who currently dey lead for di election?

Di most recent data from Israel central election committee show say di race still dey tight between Netanyahu and Eisenkot blocs, as dem don count more dan half of di votes.

Israeli news networks Kan News, Channel 12 and Channel 13 don publish updates to dia projections, as dem give Netanyahu bloc 55 seats and Eisenkot 49.

Di winning bloc need at least 61 seats for di Knesset to form a majority govment.

These no be di final results and dem dey subject to change.

Voter turnout on Tuesday na di highest in decades.

E stand at 77.7% wen polls close at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT), wey be di highest at dat hour since 1999, di Central Elections Committee tok.

Who be di main contenders for Israel election?

Di poll wey dem publish on Friday show say current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dey face strong competition from Gadi Eisenkot, former oga of Israel Defence Forces (IDF), as both of dem dey battle to bicom Israel next prime minister.

Part of Eisenkot popularity na from im military credentials plus im status as pesin wey just join politics newly, e just form im Yashar Party only last year.

But none of dia political blocs fit win di 61 seats dem need to form majority govment – wey mean say di politics fit drag for weeks or even months bifor dem go agree on who go lead.

E lost im son, wey be soja, for di first months of di Gaza war, and e serve for Israel war cabinet under Netanyahu until e resign for 2024 sake of di way dem dey handle di conflict.

E don build im campaign on calls for accountability on top di security failures wey lead to 7 October.

Israel proportional representation system mean say dem dey form govments for di kontri, most time through coalitions – plus di race to power fit and don often lead to surprising alliances between parties wey pipo no expect.

But dis election dey look extra tight, and political camps don already draw dia battle lines.

Eisenkot, wey dey lead di newly formed Yashar Party, na di main figure for di so-called "change bloc", one collection of parties wey get ideological differences but share one goal wey be to remove Netanyahu.

Oda opposition leaders for di bloc include former prime minister Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman – wey be right-wing politicians wey take strong stand on security mata - and Yair Golan, one former general wey dey lean towards di left.

For Netanyahu, one big name for Israeli politics bin first serve as prime minister for 1996, any chance to return to power go depend on anoda alliance wit di far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties wey make up im current governing coalition.

Nentanyahu current govment na di most right-wing for Israel history. For am to remain for power, e likely go still depend on support from some of im current far-right coalition partners.

Some of dos parties dey push strong nationalist ideas, like make Israel annex di West Bank and make Palestinians comot from Gaza, wey fit amount to forced displacement of civilians.

Some members of Netanyahu own Likud party don also support di idea say make Palestinians "migrate" from di territory.

Two Arab political blocs dey contest for di election too, as about one-fifth of Israel population be Arabs, and most of dem dey identify as Palestinian citizens of Israel.

For theory, dem fit bicom pipo wey go determine who go form di govment. But almost all di major Jewish parties don rule out any alliance or partnership wit dem, apart from one party wey neva reject di idea.

Who be Gadi Eisenkot - Netanyahu challenger

Dem born Gadi Eisenkot for Tiberias to working-class parents from Morocco.

If e win di election, e go bicom di first Mizrahi prime minister for Israel history. Dat one mean say, like about half of Israel population, e get Middle Eastern and North African Jewish roots instead of European (Ashkenazi Jewish) background.

E join di Israel Defense Forces' Golani Brigade for national service for 1978. Eisenkot bin ascend through di ranks, and e bicom di commander of di brigade for 1997. E go on to bicom Chief of di General Staff of di IDF for 2015.

Afta e retire from di military, e win one seat for di Israeli parliament and e join Netanyahu war cabinet for di immediate aftermath of di 7 October 2023 attacks.

Di war wit Hamas bin affect am personally: dem kill im son, Gal, for Gaza for December 2023. E later lost two nephews for di conflict.

Eisenkot form im centrist political party Yashar! – wey for Hebrew mean "straight", "true" or "honest" - for September 2025.

E don promise say if e win, e go destroy Hamas military wing and break up di group leadership within 18 months of entering office. E also say im go stop di increase in settler violence against Palestinians for di West Bank.

How elections dey work?

Israel parliament - wey dey known as di Knesset - get 120 seats, wey mean say govment must hold 61 seats to command a majority.

Israel dey use proportional representation voting system, so govment no dey usually come from one party alone. Na coalition of different political parties dem dey form to run di kontri.

According to opinion polls wey come out on Friday, neither Eisenkot nor Netanyahu camp get enough support to win clear majority. Dat one mean say afta di election, political bargaining and negotiations fit continue for weeks or even months bifor dem go fit form new govment.

If no group fit get enough seats to form majority govment, e dey possible say minority govment go take power. If dat one no work out too, dem fit call for anoda election, and Netanyahu go continue as interim Prime Minister until den.

Wen dem go announce Israel election result

At 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT) on election day, Israeli broadcasters go publish exit polls.

These go give some sign on di way di voting dey go, but e fit change and Friday polling don suggest say clear projected winner no dey certain.

Preliminary results dey expected di next day, and dem go publish official results on 4 November.

Afta consultation wit party leaders, President Isaac Herzog go den invite whichever leader e believe say get di best chance of forming a government to do so.

Dis process fit take more dan one month, and if e fail di president fit ask anoda leader to try. If dat one too fail, Knesset members fit ask di president to allow a third leader to try. And if dat one too fail, dem go arrange new elections.

Between 2019 and 2022, Israel don hold five separate elections as parties don struggle time and again to co-operate.