Israel Vote Deadlock Confirmed By Near-complete Results

Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published September 20, 2019 | 01:30 PM

Israeli vote results on Friday confirmed a deadlock in the country's general election and put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party as the second-largest, leaving him with a tough battle to extend his long tenure in office

Jerusalem (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Sep, 2019 ) :Israeli vote results on Friday confirmed a deadlock in the country's general election and put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party as the second-largest, leaving him with a tough battle to extend his long tenure in office.

The near-complete official results from Tuesday's election gave ex-military chief Benny Gantz's centrist Blue and White alliance the most seats, with 33 out of parliament's 120.

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud won 31 seats, but neither had an obvious path to a majority coalition.

In a stark admission on Thursday, Netanyahu acknowledged he was unable to form a right-wing coalition as he hoped and called on Gantz to join him in a unity government instead.

Gantz responded by saying he would have to be prime minister in a unity government since Blue and White was the largest party.

The standoff has even raised the possibility of yet another election --which would be the third to be held in a year following April polls that alsoended inconclusively.