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Jerusalem (AP) - After the fourth parliamentary election in Israel within two years, Benjamin Netanyahu has, according to initial forecasts, the chance of another term as prime minister.
His right-wing Likud party emerged as the strongest force in the vote despite losses.
It was clearly in front of the future party of the previous opposition leader Jair Lapid.
Due to the extremely tight majority, however, the formation of a government is likely to be difficult, even for 71-year-old Netanyahu.
Above all, he would have to rely on the support of Naftali Bennett and his Jamina party.
During the election campaign, he had set the goal of replacing Netanyahu.
So it remains exciting in Israel.
A stalemate is also still conceivable after a forecast update.
The most important questions after Tuesday's election:
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Is there a clear winner?
No.
The camps of supporters and opponents of Netanyahu are almost the same size as after the previous elections.
According to the first forecasts, the outcome of the vote is very close.
The formation of a government is becoming difficult.
In addition, due to the corona, it should take until the weekend before the preliminary final result is available.
This could show other numbers.
Why is that?
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The counting of the votes of soldiers, diplomats, prisoners and corona sufferers should not start until Wednesday evening.
According to a media report, their number, which was 330,000 in the election a year ago, will almost double this time.
This corresponds to around 15 of the 120 mandates.
61 MPs are required for a majority.
So could the crisis in the country continue for the time being?
That is quite possible.
"As things stand at present, it is unclear whether four election rounds have ended the longest political crisis in Israel's history," says Jochanan Plesner, President of the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI).
The country remains as divided as in the past two years.
A fifth choice remains a very real option.
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How could Netanyahu succeed in forming a government?
The 71-year-old evaluated the forecasts on the evening of the election as an assignment to form a government.
He thanked the citizens of Israel.
"You gave the Right and the Likud a huge victory under my leadership," he wrote on Twitter.
It had become clear that a majority of Israelis wanted a “strong and stable right-wing government”.
To do this, however, he would have to rely on the support of several parties, including a controversial ultra-right party.
At the same time, a big rival would have to take his side.
Naftali Bennett and his settler-friendly Jamina party would have to take on the role of kingmaker.
How likely is that?
You can't say exactly.
Bennett said on election night that he was a man of the right.
But he did not give any insight into his plans.
Even during the election campaign, he had not clearly positioned himself.
On the one hand, he aimed to replace Netanyahu, but on the other hand he did not rule out joining a coalition under him.
Bennett could also become the majority funder for the anti-Netanyahu camp.
Experts consider this to be rather unlikely.
It is questionable whether Bennett would make himself the scapegoat for a possible fifth new election in less than three years.
What would Netanyahu have to do to get Bennett into a right-wing government?
What would this mean for Israel's future course?
Bennett is further to the right than Netanyahu.
The 48-year-old is committed to building more settlements and partially annexing the West Bank.
Under Netanyahu, he was already Minister of Education and the Economy, and he also headed the Ministry of Defense.
The relationship between the two politicians is considered tense.
Should Bennett join his coalition, Netanyahu would be closer to a narrow government majority with the participation of the most extreme elements of Israeli society, said IDI President Plesner.
This coalition could stand behind Netanyahu's attempts to find a political solution to his judicial anger.
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Why is the country so divided?
And why couldn't Netanyahu benefit more from the rapid corona vaccination campaign?
Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 and is the country's longest-serving head of government.
Many young Israelis don't know anyone else.
From the perspective of some Israelis, it is time for a change, also because a corruption process is ongoing against Netanyahu.
The many votes in the past few years have resulted in electoral fatigue.
The turnout was only 67.2 percent.
It was last lower in 2009.
In addition, many have not forgotten the government's failures in the course of the pandemic: the number of infections was sometimes significantly higher than in Germany, and citizens had to come to terms with long lockdown phases.
Secular Israelis also held Netanyahu overly considerate of the ultra-Orthodox.
Strictly religious parties have recently been important partners of Netanyahu.
A dispute arose that put Israeli society to the test.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210324-99-945436 / 2