Voting for Israel’s first national election ended on Tuesday, as exit polls gave the opposition a narrow edge over Benjamin Netanyahu‘s party but no governing majority.
No Clear Winner
Netanyahu’s political camp, led by Likud Party, is trailing an opposition alliance headed by Gadi Eisenkot, Israel’s former military chief of staff, exit polls cited by Reuters showed.
Israel’s major television networks reported no definitive result. Two exit polls placed both Netanyahu’s coalition and Eisenkot’s bloc at 51 seats apiece in the 120-member Knesset, the country’s parliament.
Neither side appeared close to the 61 seats needed to form a majority, leaving the outcome dependent on the final count and the alignments that follow it, Reuters reported.
Turnout reached 77.7%, the highest level in more than two decades, according to Israel’s Central Election Committee.
Notably, President Donald Trump has endorsed Netanyahu, urging Israelis to vote for the “warrior” prime minister.
Prediction Markets Diverge on Outcome
In a sharp reversal, Polymarket, built on Polygon (CRYPTO: POL), now puts Netanyahu’s likelihood of becoming prime minister at 59%, a steep rise from 28% only a day earlier.
Nearly $71.5 million has been wagered on the outcome, making it one of the platform’s most keenly watched bets.
Meanwhile, Kalshi punters see the impasse dragging on, giving a 63% chance that “no one” becomes prime minister.
Kalshi and Benzinga have an existing data collaboration agreement.
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