Israel's final count leaves Netanyahu's bloc at 53 seats, eight short of a majority. What happens next?

Update, Nov. 4: The Central Elections Committee certified the results and its chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, presented them to President Herzog on Wednesday, Ynet and Al Jazeera (with AFP and AP) report. The bloc totals did not change: 53, 48 and 19. The committee's presidium approved the results 3-0 with two abstentions; Yesh Atid and Blue and White representatives and Sohlberg voted yes, while Likud and Shas abstained, Ynet reports. Al Jazeera reports the committee said a review of 9,069 polling stations found no irregularities that compromised the election or changed its results. Sohlberg said those casting doubt on the results pose "a real danger," and that results "are binding on all of us" (Ynet). Herzog now holds two days of consultations with party leaders before choosing who gets the first chance to form a government, which comes with 28 days and a possible 14-day extension, Al Jazeera reports.

Israel's Central Elections Committee published final results of the Oct. 27 election early Oct. 30, Israel time. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won 53 of 120 Knesset seats, eight short of a majority, AP and The Times of Israel report. The opposition bloc won 48 and Arab-led parties 19. Results go to President Isaac Herzog on Nov. 4.

Key facts - Election day: Oct. 27, 2026; 120 Knesset seats, 61 for a majority - Netanyahu's bloc: 53 seats; opposition bloc: 48; Arab-led parties: 19 (AP, Times of Israel) - Largest party: Likud, 27 seats (Ynet, Times of Israel) - Turnout: 77.9%, 5,716,665 votes (Ynet, citing the committee) - Nov. 4: committee certified the results and presented them to President Herzog (Ynet, Al Jazeera) - Next: Herzog's consultations with party leaders (two days); Knesset sworn in Nov. 10

Are these the official results?

Yes, as of Nov. 4. On Oct. 30 these were the committee's final figures as reported by news outlets, which the committee said were still subject to minor corrections. Ynet reports the committee said that, "subject to minor corrections, as in every election," these are the results it will submit to the president on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Checks include re-examining polling stations, fixing data-entry errors and reviewing complaints.

On Nov. 4 the committee certified them and presented them to the president, so they are now official (Ynet). We could not open the committee's own results page on Oct. 30 or on Nov. 4; it returned an error page. The figures below come from the outlets named, and we will check them against the committee's page when it loads.

What is the final seat count?

Per Ynet and The Times of Israel, both citing the committee (Oct. 30):

The two outlets give the same numbers. Turnout was 77.9%, with 5,716,665 votes counted, of which 25,887 were invalid, Ynet reports. The threshold to enter the Knesset, 3.25% of valid votes, was 184,947 votes.

Earlier counts differed for some parties. During the count of double-envelope ballots, Ra'am gained a seat at the expense of the Joint List, The Times of Israel reported on Oct. 29. The bloc totals did not change. Treat any tally from before the committee's final announcement as out of date.

Who is in each bloc?

The bloc totals are AP's and The Times of Israel's, and they add up from the seat table:

• Netanyahu's bloc, 53: Likud 27, Otzma Yehudit 7, United Torah Judaism 7, Shas 6, Religious Zionism 6.
• Opposition bloc, 48: Yashar! 21 (led by Gadi Eisenkot), Together 12, the Democrats 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7.
• Arab-led parties, 19: Joint List 11, Ra'am 8. AP calls that a historic showing.

Blocs are not coalitions. No party has committed to a government yet.

Who needs 61 seats, and what happens next?

A government needs the support of at least 61 of the 120 members. AP reports that parties now face weeks of difficult negotiations, and that Netanyahu remains in charge in the meantime. The committee presented the certified results to President Herzog on Nov. 4 (Ynet), and the new Knesset is due to be sworn in on Nov. 10 (The Times of Israel).

Does the Shin Bet investigation change the result?

The committee says no. According to Ynet, acting committee director general Dean Livne said the Shin Bet's investigation into suspected election bribery and foreign interference "will not affect the final results submitted to the president" and does not concern any particular community. Findings will go to committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg.

Sources

• Ynet News: Herzog receives official election results (Itamar Eichner, Nov. 4, 2026)
• Al Jazeera: Israel vote results confirmed as election commission rejects fraud claims (with AFP and AP, Nov. 4, 2026)
• Ynet News: Israel election results unaffected by foreign interference probe, committee says (Oct. 30, 2026)
• The Times of Israel: Central Elections Committee publishes final election results (liveblog, Oct. 30, 2026)
• The Times of Israel: Ra'am gains seat at expense of Joint List as double-envelope count nears completion (liveblog, Oct. 29, 2026)
• JNS: Right-wing bloc wins Israeli election with 53 seats (Oct. 30, 2026)
• AP: Election results show Netanyahu's bloc lost its parliamentary majority (updated Oct. 30, 2026)
• Israel Central Elections Committee, national results (did not load for us on Oct. 30)

Photo: Gary Todd / Wikimedia Commons, CC0. The Knesset building in Jerusalem, file photo from July 2018.

Drafted with AI assistance from primary sources. Written and edited by The Whole Read newsroom under Monsaur Othman's editorial standards. Read how we use AI, our editorial policy and our corrections policy.