Israel: Netanyahu poised to form govt for 5th consecutive term

Israel's right-wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday appeared to secure a clear majority for the fifth time in the Parliament.

The elections for the 21st Knesset or the National Legislature was viewed as a closely fought battle between Netanyahu's Likud Party and opposition candidate Benny Gantz's Blue and White party.

Citing preliminary results of the elections, The Times of Israel confirmed that with 97 per cent of the votes counted, neither of the candidates' parties had captured a ruling majority, but Netanyahu was clearly in a strong position to form a coalition government with other right-wing factions that have backed him.

More than 6.3 million voters exercised their franchise to elect members of 120-seat Knesset on Tuesday in 10,000 polling stations across the country.

Despite reeling under a series of corruption allegations, Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term in office. If he wins, he would become Israel's longest-serving leader surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

Meanwhile, Gantz, a former Israeli army general, claimed victory in the ensuing parliamentary polls and said that the public "has had their say" and the elections have a "clear winner" and a "clear loser".

With both leaders claiming victory on Tuesday night, a clearer picture emerged on Wednesday as the results began streaming in, painting Netanyahu as the winner.

In the final days of his election campaign, Netanyahu had vowed to annex settlements in the occupied West Bank if re-elected. The leader even dubbed himself as the underdog and warned that "the right-wing government is in danger".

Final results were expected by Friday.