The right-wing former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition has won a majority of the seats in the Knesset, Israel’s 120-seat parliament.
On Thursday, the final election results awarded Netanyahu and his allies 64 seats in the 120-seat parliament, with Netanyahu’s party Likud attaining 32 of those seats.
The current centrist prime minister Yair Lapid gained 51 seats, while the remaining seats went to the unaffiliated Arab party.
Lapid congratulated Netanyahu and has instructed his staff to prepare an organized transition of power, according to his office.
“The State of Israel comes before any political consideration. I wish Netanyahu success, for the sake of the people of Israel and the State of Israel.”
– Yair Lapid, Prime Minister of Israel
Netanyahu served as prime minister of Israel from 1996 to 1999 and again from 2009 to 2021. He is the longest-serving PM in the country, having served for 15 years.
