Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday began talks with lawmakers to form a "strong" national coalition government led by him after the exit polls projected majority for his right-wing Likud Party in the country's unprecedented third parliamentary elections.
According to the exit polls published shortly after the voting ended on Monday, 70-year-old Netanyahu's Likud Party-led alliance will win 59 seats, just two short of the majority in the 120-member Parliament.
Netanyahu had the support of 60 members in the Knesset after the April 9 polls, the first out of the three within a year, but he could not manage to win just one more member to form a government.
Israelis voted on Monday for the third time in less than a year to break the deadlock on government formation, with the country's longest-serving premier Netanyahu fighting for his political survival amid indictments on graft charges, which he denies.
A beaming Netanyahu said he would meet with the other right-wing and religious parties later on Tuesday to discuss forming a "strong, national government for the state of Israel."
He is now seeking a record fifth term, having been in office from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009.
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Likud spokesman Jonathan Urich said that work has begun to convince lawmakers from the center-left bloc to defect and join a Likud-led coalition headed by Netanyahu, Ha'aretz online reported.
"This is a night of great victory," Netanyahu said in a victory speech at his party headquarters hours after exit polls showed his Likud had an upper hand.
"We won against all odds. They eulogized us, but we prevailed. We made lemons into lemonade. We turned Israel into a superpower, we nurtured new connections with world leaders, including more leaders than you can even imagine in the Arab and Muslim world," he said.
"When I say that we will bring peace agreements with more Arab nations, it's not mere words. There are things in the works. This is only the tip of the iceberg," he said, highlighting his claim to lead Israel as the only leader of global stature.
Israel's Central Election Committee said it has completed counting almost 97 per cent of the votes polled and the only votes remaining to be counted are the absentee ballots.
The absentee ballots include those of the soldiers, prisoners, diplomats posted abroad and other emissaries which will be counted later Tuesday.
Votes of those quarantined due to possible exposure to Coronavirus, cast at special polling stations, will be counted in a tent outside the Knesset on Wednesday morning.
Counting of these votes is generally a tedious process as they go through cross-checks and their results will be available only on Sunday. As per law, the final results of the polls can be announced until March 9.
The Likud Party has solidified its position as the single largest party with a decent lead of 36-32 over closest rival Blue and White party of former Israeli army Chief Benny Gantz.
Gantz has refused to accept defeat when he appeared before his party's supporters at their Tel Aviv headquarters but admitted he shared their feeling of disappointment and pain.
"This is not the result we wanted and not the result that will put Israel back on the right track," he said.
"Netanyahu does not have 61 votes to form a government," he said. "We will consider our path. We respect the word of the voters. We were, are and will remain obligated to the fate of the State of Israel."
He also reminded the supporters of Netanyahu's impending trial set to begin on March 17.
"Criminal proceedings can only be dealt with in the courtroom, and Netanyahu will stand trial for three severe offenses," he said.
Gantz said he would not sit in a government with Netanyahu because of the charges of graft against him.
Likud has bagged 29.35 per cent of the votes, equal to around 36 Knesset seats, which could represent the party's strongest showing as Israelis look to end a political deadlock that has left the country without a fully functioning government for over a year.
The Blue and White party was trailing with 26.34 per cent votes, representing some 31 seats, which is its poorest showing in the last three attempts.
Netanyahu's right-wing allies too have fared well in the polls with ultra-Orthodox Shas party and United Torah Judaism at 10 and 7 seats respectively, while religious right-wing Yamina party got six seats.
The current situation brings the right-wing bloc's tally to 59 in the house of 120, just two seat shy of a simple majority.
Israeli Arabs led Joint List was looking to win 15 seats, while the Labor-Gesher-Meretz alliance on the Left stood at seven seats as per the latest round of counting.
Former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beitenu party is likely to win 7 seats, one down from last time.
The elections were largely seen as a referendum on Netanyahu who will go on trial later this month for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, but is thought to be seeking support for a legislative mechanism to grant him immunity.
"Throughout the campaign, I've spoken about everything we intend to achieve in the coming years applying sovereignty over our homeland in the Jordan valley," Netanyahu said, referring to his controversial campaign promise to annex the territory.
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