Israeli ex-PM Netanyahu takes lead in election - China.org.cn

Exit polls from Israel's parliamentary elections suggested Tuesday that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc has a good chance of making a comeback after the country's fifth elections since 2019.

Exit polls of three main Israeli TV channels indicated that the long-time leader and his alliance of far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties won 61-62 seats in the 120-seat parliament, suggesting they have enough seats to form a ruling coalition government.

Speaking with supporters at his campaign headquarters, Netanyahu said the early results are "a good start," and called the supporters to wait for the final results. Exit polls suggested his Likud party won 30 to 31 seats.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party was projected to gain 22-24 seats and his wider alliance to secure 54 to 55 seats, according to the exit polls.