The latest opinion polling ahead of Israel’s 9th April general election is showing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is better placed to form a ruling coalition than main competitor Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party.
Three separate polls in Yedioth Ahronoth, Maariv and Israel Hayom predict the Blue and White party will win more seats than Likud, but that Benjamin Netanyahu has a better chance of forming a governing coalition after the elections, and another poll by Channel 13 News shows Likud and the Blue and White party as level.
Today’s poll in Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth shows Blue and White leading with 31 seats to Likud’s 27, Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc would still win with 64 seats overall.
In another public opinion poll published on Thursday by Channel 13 News, both Likud and the Blue and White party are both predicted 30 out of 120 Knesset seats. With this result, it appears that Likud is closing the lead that Blue and White had.
Yisrael Beiteinu, led by former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Gesher, led by ex-Yisrael Beiteinu MK Orli Levi-Abekasis, are both predicted not to pass the electoral threshold.
Labor is predicted 10 seats, followed by the Union of Right-Wing Parties with seven. Ultra-Orthodox party United Torah Judaism also stands at seven seats, as does Arab-majority list Hadash-Ta’al.
The poll also predicts a surge of support for right-wing pro-cannabis legalisation Zehut party, led by Moshe Feiglin, to get seven seats.
Left-wing Meretz and right-wing Hayamin Hehadash, led by ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, are both predicted five seats, and United Arab List-Balad, Kulanu and Shas four.
