Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears well placed to return to the top seat, data from the election body indicated early Thursday, November 3. 93.6 percent of ballots from Tuesday's general election were counted by 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, and voters appeared to have given Netanyahu and his far-right allies a stable majority in the country’s parliament. According to television exit polls, Israel's longest serving premier was poised to take 61-62 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. The early exit polls may differ from the final result of the election, but still, the results pointed to a stronger-than-expected showing by the right, local media reported. The remaining votes are approximately 570,000 double envelopes” of citizens who voted outside of their hometowns, including IDF soldiers, Israel Police officers, diplomats abroad, disabled people, COVID-19 patients among others. According to the Israelis Central Election Committee, counting was set to begin counting these votes at 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, and said it hopes to have the full results by this afternoon. The president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, then has a week, until November 16, to consult with the heads of the parties as to who should receive the mandate to form a government. These consultations will be broadcast live, as it has been the norm. The MK who receives the mandate, presumably Netanyahu, then has 28 days to form a government. The dates are a maximum, but the process could be quicker. Other than voicing their thanks to supporters, most of the party leaders kept a low profile on Wednesday, as they waited for the official election results.
