Reported by NPR World
People spray sparkling wine as they celebrate early exit poll results for Israel's general election in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday. Oded Balilty/AP hide caption
TEL AVIV, Israel — With a majority of the votes counted on Wednesday morning, there was still no clear winner in Israel's pivotal parliamentary election , but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was leading his main opposition rival, Gadi Eisenkot, in the official tally.
However, the various opposition groups as a whole, including a significant showing by two Arab-led factions, had more votes overall than Netanyahu's right-wing bloc of parties — indicating Israelis had turned out in their numbers to express their dissatisfaction with his government.
More from the original report
Overnight Tuesday both leaders addressed supporters and hailed their early results, somewhat prematurely, each suggesting they had triumphed.
"We made history! The public has voted for change," said Eisenkot, a center-right former military chief of staff who has promised more diplomacy and less extremism.
Netanyahu told supporters, "The right-wing bloc has a clear, decisive majority among the Zionist public."
But such a tight race means there could now be weeks of political gridlock.
The winning party needs a coalition of 61 lawmakers in the 120-seat Israeli parliament, or Knesset, in order to form a government. The final results will depend on the math and negotiations among broader alliances.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar ("Straight") party, waves an Israeli flag onstage following the release of the first exit poll results in Israel's general election in Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026. Ariel Schalit/AP hide caption
Arab voters make up about 20% of Israel's population, and two Arab-led parties — the socially conservative United Arab List, or Raam, and the left-wing Joint List — could be kingmakers, except that both Netanyahu and Eisenkot and his allies have resisted partnering with them.
On Wednesday, Netanyahu's Likud party claimed the elections were "stolen" by Arab parties, saying it was providing evidence to the police. Critics viewed the allegation as an attempt to prevent the opposition from partnering with Arab parties to unseat him.
According to election officials, Israeli voter turnout on Tuesday was…