Israel could face weeks of coalition bargaining after Tuesday's general election, with partial results suggesting that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor his main challenger, the former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, has won a clear path to power.

A government needs the support of at least 61 members of the 120-seat Knesset. Exit polls published by Israel's main television channels on Tuesday night put Mr Netanyahu's governing bloc and the opposition grouping led by Mr Eisenkot roughly level, on around 51 seats each.

By Wednesday morning, election officials had counted more than half of the votes, and the picture had shifted towards the prime minister. The Central Elections Committee's partial figures put Mr Netanyahu's bloc ahead on 55 seats, with his Likud party on 27 and Mr Eisenkot's Yashar party on 21.

Analysts warned that the numbers were likely to change significantly. The early count was weighted towards areas with strong right-wing support, and a large number of absentee ballots, mostly cast by soldiers, have still to be counted. A clear result is not expected for another day or two.

Highest turnout since 1999

Turnout reached 77.7%, the highest since 1999. The election was widely seen as a referendum on Mr Netanyahu, 77, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, who is on trial on corruption charges he denies, and who has faced criticism at home over the country's lack of preparedness for the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023.

One of the most striking features of the vote was a record turnout among Arab citizens of Israel, many of whom identify as Palestinian and who make up about a fifth of the population. Exit polls suggested Arab-led parties could win around 18 seats, up from 10.

Their role in forming a government is uncertain. Mr Netanyahu has said a government backed by Arab parties is “out of the question”, while Mr Eisenkot has said those parties do not meet what he described as Zionist criteria to govern. Most Jewish opposition parties also pledged during the campaign not to work with them. If others changed their position, however, the Arab-led parties could become kingmakers.

What the leaders said

Speaking to supporters at about 03:00 local time, Mr Netanyahu stopped short of declaring victory but said his camp had a “clear, decisive majority among the Zionist public, among the Jewish public”.

“We must form a strong, national, right-wing government. That is what must be done,” he said, promising to build a coalition of Likud, nationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties.

Mr Eisenkot told his supporters in Tel Aviv earlier in the night that “the public has chosen change”. “The coalition of failure has lost the people's trust. The Israeli public voted against Benjamin Netanyahu continuing as prime minister,” he said, adding that he would work with his partners to form “a Zionist government: stable and good for all of Israel's citizens”.

Another opposition leader, former prime minister Yair Lapid, described the exit polls as “a crushing defeat” for the governing bloc.

Disputes on election night

Mr Netanyahu and several other parties asked for polling stations to stay open beyond the 22:00 deadline, a request the Central Elections Committee refused. The prime minister had suggested publicly that efforts were being made by “the left and Arabs” to steal the election, a claim the committee rejected.

The campaign took place against the background of the war in Gaza and its aftermath. Israel denies accusations of genocide brought against it at the International Court of Justice, and Mr Netanyahu rejects the war crimes allegations behind an arrest warrant issued for him by the International Criminal Court. His supporters say he is the leader best placed to protect the country's security.

What happens next

Once the final results are certified, President Isaac Herzog will consult the parties and ask the candidate he judges most likely to succeed to try to form a government. That person normally has 28 days, which can be extended by up to 14 more.

A stalemate could work in Mr Netanyahu's favour, because he would remain prime minister in a caretaker capacity while talks continued. Between 2019 and 2022, repeated deadlocks forced Israelis to the polls five times.

Exit polls in Israel are often revised, and small shifts in the vote can change the seat totals sharply, because parties need at least 3.25% of the vote to enter the Knesset. A party falling just short of that threshold could decide which bloc comes out ahead.