Netanyahu bids for comeback in tight Israeli election | World News,The Indian Express

Israel's longest-serving premier, Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies, but his rightist Likud party is still expected to finish as the largest in parliament.

After years of deadlock, voter exasperation may hurt turnout, but surging support for the ultra-nationalist Religious Zionism bloc and firebrand co-leader Itamar Ben-Gvir has galvanised the campaign.

Israel’s longest-serving premier, Netanyahu is on trial on corruption charges, which he denies, but his rightist Likud party is still expected to finish as the largest in parliament.

However, as polls opened on Tuesday, the final opinion polls from last week showed him still short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, opening the prospect of weeks of coalition wrangling and possibly new elections.

“There’s a feeling of despair at all these elections,” said Hagit Cohen, a 46-year-old social worker from Tel Aviv. She said she was voting for outgoing centrist Prime Minister Yair Lapid rather than the centre-left parties she normally backed.

Israelis are voting in their fifth election in less than four years, and once again former PM Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to play a crucial role.

https://indianexpress.com/article/world/israel-election-netanyahu-yair-lapid-8242406/

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