Israel Coalition Holds 53 Seats as Vote Counting Continues
The Israeli coalition maintains a 53-seat lead over the opposition as the Central Elections Commission begins counting absentee double-envelope ballots.
The Central Elections Commission of Israel began counting double-envelope ballots at 1:00 a.m. on October 29, 2026, following the processing of results from 11,712 of 12,018 regular polling stations. These remaining ballots include votes from diplomats, prisoners, medical patients, and IDF soldiers.
Partial official results, representing approximately 90.5% of the 5,126,759 votes cast, show the current coalition holding 53 seats and the opposition bloc holding 48. Arab parties hold 19 seats. Likud leads the individual parties with 26 seats, followed by Yashar with 21, while the Joint List and Together are tied with 12 seats each.
The Arab-led Joint List has declared its readiness to cooperate politically to establish an alternative government and oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, most Jewish-led opposition parties have ruled out a partnership with the Arab-led bloc.
