Livni leads tight Israel vote, but Netanyahu has the edge in PM race

Israel’s central election commission said Kadima won 28 seats in the 120-member parliament, followed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party with 27.

 

Avigdor Lieberman’s ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party came in third with 15 seats -- its best-ever showing -- and the centre-left Labor party fell to 13, its worst performance in any Israeli election.    Â

 

The ultra-Orthodox Shas party came in fifth with 11 seats.Â

 

In Israel’s unusual political system the party with the most seats does not necessarily lead the next government. Although the person who gets first shot at forming a coalition of at least 61 MPs is generally the leader of the party that wins the most votes, this is not mandatory.

 

Israel's President Shimon Peres can entrust the task to the person he thinks has a better shot at cobbling together a union, and Netanyahu stands a good chance of becoming prime minister on the back of overall gains by right-wing parties.

 

COALITION NEGOTIATIONS

Netanyahu can in theory rally 65 seats. Along with Likud’s 27, there are the 15 seats won by ultra-nationalist Yisrael Beitenu, 11 from the ultra-Orthodox Shas, five from the religious United Torah Judaism and seven from two extreme-right settler parties.

 

Livni on the other hand can count on support of 44 MPs – Kadima’s 28, 13 from Labor and three from the left-wing Meretz.

 

The legislatures remaining 11 seats are held by Arab parties, which are highly unlikely to join any coalition.

 

"Despite the poll results, it is not certain that Livni will be able to muster the 61-seat coalition needed to form a government," the Haaretz said.

 

"Tzipi Livni’s options are fairly limited," added the Ynet news website, one of Israel’s most popular.

 

"Without Lieberman, Livni has no government. Even with the Yisrael Beitenu chairman, Livni’s ability to form a government is in great doubt," it said.

 

BOTH CLAIMS VICTORY

Netanyahu, 59, said he was confident he would head the next government after Likud, which suffered a devastating defeat in 2006, more than doubled its representation and right-wing parties won an overall majority of 65 seats.

 

"The national camp led by the Likud has won an unambiguous majority," Netanyahu was quoted by AFP as telling supporters at party headquarters in Tel Aviv.

 

"I am certain that I will be able to form the next government," he said. "I can unite all forces of this nation and lead Israel."

 

Livni also claimed victory, telling jubilant supporters that "the people have chosen Kadima" and urging Netanyahu to join a national unity government under her leadership.

 

"Israel does not belong to the right in the same way that peace does not belong to the left," said the 50-year-old lawyer and former Mossad spy.

 

GAZA CRISIS

The results set the stage for what could be weeks of coalition negotiations.

 

Analysts say such paralysis could dampen prospects for Egyptian-led attempts to broker a truce between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers after Israel’s devastating offensive in Gaza last month. Hamas might be reluctant to sign a deal at the risk of having it overturned by the incoming coalition.

 

Whatever government is forged, it is unlikely to move quickly toward peace talks with the Palestinians and instead could find itself on a collision course with President Barack Obama, who has said he’s making a Mideast peace deal a priority.