Ex-Prime Minister Netanyahu is confident of victory

The Israeli ex-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown himself confident of victory after the parliamentary elections. He is "close to a major victory" and will lead a right-wing government if the results of the post-election polls confirm it, Netanyahu told supporters of his Likud party in Jerusalem on Wednesday. The incumbent Prime Minister Jair Lapid, on the other hand, said he would wait and see. "Nothing has been decided" and his party will "wait patiently for the final results," Lapid said at a rally of his center-party Yesh Atid in Tel Aviv.

According to the post-election polls, longtime former Prime Minister Netanyahu has won the elections for the Israeli parliament and can hope for a right-wing government majority. Prime Minister Jair Lapid had to admit defeat.

Lapid's center-party Yesh Atid was second with 22 to 24 seats in parliament, according to forecasts by three Israeli television channels, behind Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, which won 30 or 31 seats in the 120-seat parliament.

Together with his allies, an alliance of ultra-right and ultra-religious parties, Netanyahu would have a narrow majority in parliament with 61 to 62 seats. An absolute majority of 61 seats is required to form a government.

However, as previous Israeli elections have shown, slight discrepancies in the official vote count could change the outlook dramatically. Post-election polls may indicate a trend, Israel Democracy Institute research center director Johanan Plesner told AFP. In previous elections, however, there were discrepancies with the actual results.

When the final official result is known, President Izchak Herzog decides who will be given the task of forming a government. The candidate then has four weeks to form a coalition. Like last year's election, however, it could take weeks or months for a government to form. Netanyahu was initially given the task of forming a government, but was unable to forge a coalition.

The country on the Mediterranean Sea with nine million inhabitants has been in a permanent crisis for years. The past elections had often led to unclear majorities. The current parliamentary election is the fifth in three and a half years.

The current eight-party coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett collapsed in June after losing its majority after just 12 months. Foreign Minister Jair Lapid then took over the post of head of government. The extremely unusual alliance was supported by parties from the right to the left - an Arab party was also in government for the first time.

The opposition leader Netanyahu, accused of corruption, wants to return to the office of prime minister. The 73-year-old has been head of government in Israel several times, for a total of more than a decade and a half. Netanyahu is aiming to form an ultra-right religious coalition that could help him pass sentencing-evasion legislation.

The party landscape in Israel is highly fragmented and driven by interests. Even parties from similar camps are often not able to form alliances. In addition to differences in content, this is also due to personal disputes. In addition, there is a low percentage hurdle that has to be cleared to enter parliament. It is 3.25 percent, in Germany it is about 5.