Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot issued a statement to the press declaring victory, saying the preliminary voting results should give him the first right to form a government to replace Netanyahu.
Eisenkot’s headquarters erupted into cheers when they heard the initial results of the balance of the blocs, even as there were a few seconds of nervousness when they saw that Netanyahu had the largest party.
Channel 12 television exit polls showed his political bloc trailing the Netanyahu bloc 49-52, while both Channel 11 and 13 projected the opposition bloc tying with Netanyahu’s bloc at 51 seats each. Eisenkot’s Yashar party was projected to earn between 21 and 22 seats, according to exit polls from Channels 11, 12, and 13.
Eisenkot hoped for an even larger victory, but even then, because the Israeli-Arab parties are not specifically affiliated with a bloc, he was not expected to easily form the next government, even if he won more votes than the Netanyahu right-wing bloc.
Eisenkot, in his statement to the press, said the “era of draft evasion, failure, and lies” was over, adding that the results should be seen as a victory for the entire country rather than one political camp over another.
