The exit polls put Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud with between 33 and 36 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while Benny Gantz's Blue and White had either 36 or 37
Supporters of the Blue and White political alliance react after watching a poll at the alliance headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel, April 9 2019. Picture: GALI TIBBON / AFPPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz were neck and neck early Wednesday after a high-stakes Israeli election, exit polls showed, but the premier seemed better placed to form a coalition.
The exit polls put Netanyahu's Likud with between 33 and 36 seats in the 120-seat parliament, while Gantz's Blue and White had either 36 or 37. "The president must give us the task of forming the next government since we are the biggest party," he said."I will be the prime minister for all, not only for our voters."
The election was in many ways a referendum on the 69-year-old premier who has built a reputation as guarantor of the country's security and economic growth, but whose populism and alleged corruption have left many ready for change. True to form, Netanyahu issued a deeply controversial pledge only three days before the election, saying he planned to annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank should he win.
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