Israeli Elections: Both Candidates Claim Victory, Netanyahu Slightly Ahead

(Patria) - Although both candidates claimed victory in the Israeli elections on Tuesday evening, three state television channels in the country reported Benjamin Netanyahu as the winner.

His victory is based on 97% of the votes counted, and it was uncertain until the very final stage of the electoral process thanks to the strong support his centrist rival Benny Gantz received from voters.

At one point, both parties declared victory.

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party and the party of former army general Gantz, Blue and White, both won 35 seats, which ultimately means 5 more seats for Likud.

Of the 97% of votes counted so far, neither of the candidate parties has won a ruling majority.

Netanyahu (69) is under significant pressure in the country due to corruption charges in three cases.

Addressing the public after the initial vote count, he called his victory "colossal," noting that official results are still awaited.

The current results show that 65 out of 120 seats in the Israeli parliament have gone to the bloc of right-wing parties led by Netanyahu, while the remaining 55 have gone to center-left groups.

Netanyahu would thus be in a much better position to form a majority government as he would form a coalition with allied national parties of right-wing and religious orientation, while Gantz has fewer potential coalition partners.

The final results will be announced on Friday.

If he wins, this will be Netanyahu's fifth consecutive term, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.