Key Points
Key Points
- No bloc won 61 seats in Israel's 27 October 2026 election. President Herzog has now held talks with party leaders, and Eisenkot has 67 recommendations — but that is not yet a government.
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Israel voted on 27 October 2026, and it still has no new government. The next days will decide who gets the first chance to govern. Here are the seat numbers, what President Isaac Herzog has done so far, and what must happen next.
Why you can trust this post: the seat counts come from the Central Elections Committee, via The Times of Israel. The talks come from Herzog’s updates, Al Jazeera, and The Jerusalem Post.
In this post
The result; the 61-seat maths; Herzog’s talks; the Arab parties; what happens next; what is still unknown; your questions; my final thoughts.
The result in plain numbers
The Central Elections Committee published the final results on Friday, 30 October 2026. Turnout was 77.9%, the highest figure in decades, with 5,716,665 votes cast, according to The Times of Israel. The seats were: Likud 27, Yashar 21, B’Yachad 12, Joint List 11, The Democrats 8, Ra’am 8, Yisrael Beytenu 7, United Torah Judaism 7, Otzma Yehudit 7, Shas 6, and Religious Zionism 6. That is all 120 seats.
Why no one has 61 seats
Let me make 61 simple. The Knesset has 120 seats, so you need more than half to govern: 61 seats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, eight short. The opposition bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats, 13 short. The two Arab-led parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, won a combined 19 seats, a record high and almost double the 10 seats they held before. Nobody can govern without help from outside their own bloc. Elsewhere this week, US voters delivered a clear verdict in the Democrats’ sweep of Congress, while the Bank of England rate rise also made news. In Israel, the result was a split, and a split needs talks.
What Herzog did this week
In Israel, the president does not pick the winner. He asks the parties who they back, then picks the person with the best chance of building a coalition. That process started on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, when Herzog accepted the certified results from the Central Elections Committee, through its chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg. He said, “The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality,” according to Al Jazeera.
On Wednesday, Herzog met representatives of Religious Zionism and Zehut, Shas, and Yisrael Beytenu. Three backed Netanyahu, while a fourth backed Eisenkot. On Thursday, 5 November, eight more parties met him, including the two Arab-led factions, with Yashar and Likud last. By the end of Thursday, Herzog had heard from all the parties in the incoming Knesset, according to The Jerusalem Post.
Why the Arab parties hold the key
This is the most important shift in the story. The Arab-led parties won 19 seats, so neither big bloc can reach 61 without them. Ra’am said it would recommend Eisenkot, and then the Joint List said it would also back him. The Joint List has 11 seats, and Ra’am has 8 seats. Add those 19 to the opposition bloc’s 48, and you get 67 recommendations for Eisenkot, according to The Jerusalem Post.
But a recommendation is not the same as joining a government. The Jerusalem Post stressed that the Arab parties’ backing “does not commit them to ultimately joining his coalition.” Some opposition leaders have ruled out a coalition with them, while Democrats leader Yair Golan has called for partnering with them. So Eisenkot has 67 names on paper, but he still needs 61 votes, and that coalition is not confirmed. Netanyahu’s backers were Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Zehut, and Shas, while United Torah Judaism declined to recommend a candidate.
What happens next
There are three dates to watch. The first is Sunday, 8 November 2026. The Jerusalem Post reported that Herzog will grant the mandate that day, and Eisenkot is expected to receive it, after his 67 recommendations. But until Herzog names the person, that is an expectation, not a confirmed fact.
The candidate Herzog picks will then have 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of up to 14 more days. If that fails, Herzog can try a second candidate, who would have 28 days with no extension. If that fails too, a 21-day period opens for 61 members to name their own choice, who would have 14 days. If all of that fails, Israel holds another election early next year.
The third date is Tuesday, 10 November 2026, when the new Knesset is expected to be sworn in, whatever happens with the talks. Markets moved on their own stories this week — Brent crude, Bitcoin, and big tech stocks — and I am not linking those moves to Israel’s talks.
What is still unknown
A lot is still unknown. We do not yet know who will get the mandate, though Eisenkot is expected to get it. We do not know if he can turn 67 recommendations into a real coalition of 61 votes, or if he and Netanyahu could still form a unity government.
There is also the fraud claim. Netanyahu and his supporters have made unsubstantiated claims that the Arab-led parties “stole” the election. The Central Elections Committee investigated those claims, and it found “no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the election or affected its results,” according to Al Jazeera. A separate Shin Bet investigation into suspected foreign interference is still ongoing. Those claims are not confirmed.
Your questions, answered
Who won the election on 27 October 2026?
No one won a majority. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53, Eisenkot’s bloc won 48, and the Arab-led parties won a record 19.
Who is Gadi Eisenkot?
He is the opposition leader and head of Yashar, a former military chief. He has 67 recommendations for the mandate.
What has President Isaac Herzog done so far?
He accepted the certified results on 4 November, held talks on 4 and 5 November, and will name the mandate holder on Sunday, 8 November 2026.
Will Eisenkot become prime minister?
Not confirmed. He is expected to receive the mandate, but that is only the chance to try. He would then have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.
What happens if no one can form a government?
Herzog can try a second candidate, then 61 members can name their own choice. If all attempts fail, Israel holds another election early next year.
My final thoughts
This election stays with me because the voters spoke so clearly, yet the result is so unclear. A record turnout of 77.9% says people cared. But the seats split three ways, and leaders must now turn that split into a government that can last. Sunday will tell us who gets the first chance. Until then, hold the numbers close: 53, 48, 19, and 61.
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