Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was on course for a record fifth term after most votes from Tuesday’s parliamentary elections were counted, with Israel’s three main TV stations declaring him the winner.
Netanyahu and his main challenger Benny Gantz both claimed victory in the election.
With 97 percent of the votes counted, both Netanyahu’s Likud and Gantz’s centrist Blue and White Party won 35 seats apiece, according to the Knesset website and the Israeli TV channels.
It would be a five-seat gain for Likud over the previous election in 2015.
Netanyahu was clearly in a strong position to form a coalition government with other right-wing factions that have backed him.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Gantz declared victory before Netanyahu followed suit as two Israeli TV stations changed their forecasts and projected a narrow victory for Netanyahu.
Addressing a jubilant gathering of supporters early on Wednesday, Netanyahu praised his supporters for an “almost inconceivable achievement”.
“I was very moved that the nation of Israel once again entrusted me for the fifth time, and with even greater trust,” said Netanyahu before vowing to establish a right-wing nationalist government.
Official results are expected to be announced early on Wednesday.
“We won! The Israeli public has had its say!” Gantz’s Blue and White party said in a statement prior to Netanyahu’s speech.
If Netanyahu wins, the 69-year-old will serve his fifth term in office, a record, and would become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister in the summer.
Source: Aljazeera
