Israel election ends in another gridlock

Israel’s electoral commission on Thursday said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and his allies secured 52 seats, while an opposition alliance landed 57. Two unaligned parties won four and seven seats. Israel’s constitution requires a candidate to work with allies to secure a 61-seat majority in parliament.

What comes next? Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will consult with each of the parties before choosing a party leader to try to form a majority coalition. The process extends a political stalemate that has seen Israelis return to the polls four times in the past two years. Voter turnout was 66.7 percent, the lowest since 2009. Netanyahu would remain in his position as caretaker prime minister until a new agreement is reached.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archive, read my World Tour report on protests that sought Netanyahu’s resignation.