“Kadima 28 + Labor 14 = 42
Likud 26 + Yisrael Beiteinu 16 = 42
This should be interesting.”
Yes, very. This thing is a long way from being decided.
Wow...That’s going to make for some interesting horse trading to form a government...Some of those small parties are really going to be in power positions now, no matter who’s coalition takes over.
If you'd like to be on or off, please FR mail me.
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Exit polls shows Kadima ahead
Channel 1 sees 30 seats for Kadima, but the right-wing block has an advantage over the center-left.
Globes correspondent10 Feb 09 22:06
http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000424717&fid=942
Voting in Israel's close-fought general election ended at 10pm this evening. Among the major parties, the Channel 1 exit poll gives 30 of the Knesset's 120 seats to Kadima, led by Tzipi Livni, 28 seats to Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, 14 to Israel Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman, 13 to Labor, led by Ehud Barak, and 9 to Shas, led by Eli Yishai.
The Ynet-Smith poll gives 28 to Kadima, 26 to Likud, 16 to Israel Beiteinu, 14 to Labor, and 10 to Shas.
The exit poll results are something of an upset, since in pre-election polls Likud led all the way, albeit with a steadily reducing lead.
Although it looks as though Kadima will be the largest single party, as things stand it is nevertheless expected that it will be Benjamin Netanyahu who will be asked to try to form a government, since the right-wing block has a clear lead over the center-left block to which Kadima belongs. The result could however lead to a constitutional crisis, since as the largest party Kadima will claim that Tzipi Livni has the right to form a government.
The projected result is a catastrophe for Labor, the worst in the party's history. Israel Beiteinu too has gained far fewer seats than the pre-election polls indicated that it would.
Another Coleman-Frankenclown moment.