Concerns that the March 23 elections may only be another step in a series of campaigns grew Tuesday, as polls by major Israeli news outlets predicted a political deadlock.
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The surveys by Channel 12 News and Channel 13 News both showed that the fate of a future coalition could very well rest in the hands of the smaller parties, most of which are teetering on the brink of the four-seat electoral threshold.
According to Channel 12 News, were elections held at this times, Likud would win 28 Knesset seats, followed by Yesh Atid (19), New Hope (14), Yamina (12), the Joint Arab List (9) Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party Shas (8), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Labor (7), Labor (7), Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism (6), Blue and White (5), and the Religious Zionist Party (5).
Failing to gain the mandatory 3.25% of the votes necessary to enter parliament are the Arab Ra'ab party (2.8%), Meretz (2.5%), and the Economic party (1.8%).
In an election where every vote could prover critical, Economic party leader Yaron Zelekha, formerly the Finance Ministry's accountant-general, has been facing growing criticism over his dogged determination to stay in the electoral race despite the fact that no survey has ever predicted he would get elected.
Channel 12 News gave the right-wing bloc comprising Likud, Shas, United Torah Judaism and the Religious Zionist Party, 47 mandates, but even if Yamina leader Naftali Bennett joins it – something he has pledged not to do – it still has 59 seats – two short of the benchmark criteria necessary to form a government.
The Center-Left bloc, comprising Yesh Atid, New Hope, Yisrael Beytenu, Labor, Blue and White and the Joint Arab List, however, secures 61 seats, and – if Yamina joins it in lieu of the Joint Arab List, it has 64 seats.
A survey by Channel 13 News projected 27 mandates for the Likud, followed by Yesh Atid (19), New Hope (11), Yamina (11), the Joint Arab List (8) Shas (7), UTJ (7), Yisrael Beytenu (7), Labor (6), RZP (5) Blue and White (4), Meretz (4), and Ra'am (4).
The Economic party fails to cross the electoral threshold.
These results give the right-wing bloc 46 mandates and the Center-Left bloc 59. Ra'am and Yamina's mandates could go to either bloc.
Channel 13 News further found that 36% or respondents believe Benjamin Netanyahu is best suited for the role of prime minister, followed by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid (19%), New Hope leader Gideon Sa'ar (13%) and Bennett (12%).
Excluding Netanyahu from the equation, 28% of respondents favored Bennett as prime minister, 18% chose Sa'ar, another 18% favored Lapid, and 26% said neither should lead the country.
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