Only one thing is certain about the Israeli elections on 27 October: it will be complicated on the day of vote-counting and immediately thereafter. The next prime minister will either be the veteran incumbent, Likud’s Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu, or opposition figure and former IDF head, Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of centrist party Yashar (which in Hebrew means “straight”, “truthful” or “honest”). Polls indicate the latter’s bloc of support will win a plurality of seats, but not enough to win a majority.
There are 38 registered political parties vying for 120 seats in the Knesset. No poll suggests one party will come within cooee of an outright majority. A coalition government is inevitable. But the complexion of the next coalition might surprise.
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