Benjamin Netanyahu could be poised for a return to power after exit polls showed the former Israeli prime minister and his right-wing bloc might win a narrow majority.
He was poised to take 61-62 seats in the 120-seat in parliament, according to Israeli television exit polls released shortly after voting closed in the country’s election.
The polls are preliminary and – with such a wafer-thin majority expected – results could change as votes are counted in the coming hours.
The campaign was shaken up by far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir – with his ultra-nationalist Religious Zionism poised to be the third-largest party in parliament after surging in from the political margins.
Mr Netanyahu, 73, has been counting on support from Mr Ben-Gvir and fellow far-right leader Bezalel Smotrich, who have moderated some extreme positions but still say that anyone seen as disloyal to Israel should be expelled from the country.
The election was Israel’s fifth in less than four years, with the country gripped by political gridlock.
Voter turnout was reported to be at the highest levels since 1999.
Mr Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving premier, is on trial over corruption charges. He denies the charges.
