Israel votes in tight election as Netanyahu battles Eisenkot for power

Israelis voted on Tuesday, 27 October, in an election that pits Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud against Yashar, the party of former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.

Turnout is the story so far

By 2 p.m. local time, 44.9% of eligible voters had cast ballots, CNN reported. That is the highest figure at that hour since 1973.

What the final polls showed

The last surveys by the public broadcaster Kan and commercial Channels 12 and 13 gave Yashar 22–23 seats and Likud 19–21. They also put the anti-Netanyahu bloc two to six seats ahead of his allies, the Jerusalem Post reported. Channel 14, which is seen as sympathetic to Netanyahu, projected Likud at about 30 seats. In none of the polls did either bloc reach the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset.

When will we know?

Exit polls are due when voting ends at 10 p.m. local time (20:00 GMT). Israeli exit polls have often differed from the final count. Official results can take days, and forming a government can take weeks, NPR noted.

What's at stake

The vote is the first full national test for Netanyahu since the regional war with Iran, and security dominated the campaign. CNN's pre-election guide covers the issues in detail.

This story will be updated with exit polls and official results.