Despite being charged with corruption, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading for a convincing victory in the legislative elections on Tuesday, placing him in a position of strength to form the next government and stand for trial.
With 90% of the votes counted Tuesday in the morning by the electoral commission, the Likud (right) of Benjamin Netanyahu obtains 29.3% of the votes, against 26.3% for the centrist formation “Bleu-Blanc” of his main rival Benny Gantz.
Likud to two deputies of the parliamentary majority
In the Israeli system, this score translates to around 36 seats for Likud, compared to 32 for the troops of former general Benny Gantz.
With its radical right allies and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, Likud could count, after these third legislative elections in less than a year, on a total of 59 seats, to two deputies of the parliamentary majority, according to these forecasts.
"Soon we will find the missing voices in the other block," Likud spokesman Jonathan Urich said on army radio. "We are already in contact with a number of deputies from the other camp," he said.
Benjamin Netanyahu, longest-serving Prime Minister in Israeli history with 14 years in power, praised the night for winning "the most important victory of his life", in front of a crowd of supporters gathered at Tel -Aviv who welcomed him with a concert of cheers and "Bibi King of Israel".
If the score of Likud is maintained beyond 35 seats, it will be the best result of the party under Benjamin Netanyahu, which also counts on good performances by the right in general.
A vote that reflects the immense
"It is a victory ... against all odds" and at the expense of those who predicted "the end of the Netanyahu era", added the Prime Minister, accused of corruption, whose trial is due to begin on 17 March. "Once again, a majority of the electorate has expressed their immense distrust of justice," said columnist Amnon Lord in the columns of the right-wing daily Israel Hayom.
"Netanyahu would have been gone long ago" if the Israelis attached importance to the charges against him, namely corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust, according to Lord.
However, on Tuesday morning, the Israeli Supreme Court received a petition from the “Movement for Quality Government” against the possible appointment by President Reuven Rivlin of Benjamin Netanyahu to set up a cabinet.
"An accused accused of corruption, embezzlement and breach of trust cannot take on the task of forming a government," argues the movement. "A man like him cannot serve as a role model and be Prime Minister."
Benjamin Netanyahu says he is the victim of a "witch hunt"
After the April and September elections, Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government of national unity. Yet it is "the only logical solution" to break the deadlock in which Israel has been for almost a year, according to the influential political commentator Ben Caspit, critic of the Prime Minister.
A unity government could allow Benjamin Netanyahu to "stay in power for another year and negotiate (with the prosecutor) while in a comfortable position," Ben Caspit writes in the pages of the daily Maariv.
The Prime Minister proclaims his innocence and claims to be the victim of a "witch hunt" by the prosecution services and the media.
Opposite, the coalition is falling apart
Supporters of Benny Gantz hope they will see the official results close the gap between the two camps. "We expected another result," admitted the former chief of the defense staff overnight.
His “Bleu-Blanc” party was betting on the support of the left parties, which united for this election, but whose initial results are disappointing (6 or 7 seats in total). The leader of the left, Amir Peretz, accused Benny Gantz of having waged "an irresponsible campaign" which "undermined" their entire bloc.
Benny Gantz notably toughened the tone in this campaign against the "United List" of Israeli Arab parties, potential allies, who had caused surprise in September by climbing the third step of the podium and could this time reach 15 seats , a record.
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