Jerusalem – Gantz Declares Victory Over Netanyahu, Hails ‘Historic Vote’

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    Head of the Blue White political party Benny Gantz speaks to supporters as the results in the Israeli general elections are announced,  at the party headquarters in Tel Aviv, on April 09, 2019. Photo by Noam Revkin Fenton/FLASH90Jerusalem – The leader of Israel’s Blue and White party has declared victory in parliamentary elections, despite mixed results in exit polls.

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    Addressing a raucous crowd of supporters. Benny Gantz said Tuesday’s vote was a “historic vote” for Israel and urged his rival, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to step aside.

    Opinion polls show Gantz’s party tied or with a slight lead over Netanyahu’s Likud, though the polls appear to give Netanyahu a better chance of cobbling together a parliamentary majority with his hard-line ideological allies.

    Gantz says that as leader of the largest party, he should be chosen by Israel’s president to form the next government.

    “Elections have losers and elections have winners. And we are the winners,” he said.

    Exit polls on two of Israel’s three main TV channels showed that main challenger Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party won slightly more seats that Likud in the 120-member parliament, while a third survey forecast a tie.

    Though neither party captured a ruling majority in the Knesset, according to the exit polls, the surveys put Netanyahu in a stronger position to form a coalition government with the help of right-wing factions.

    Some political analysts, however, cautioned it was too early to determine the outcome, with many hours to go before a final tally is in.

    Channel 13 forecast Netanyahu could piece together a ruling bloc controlling 66 seats compared with 54 for a Blue and White-led coalition of center-left and left-wing parties.

    Public TV Kan put the ratio at 64 to 56 in Likud’s favor, while Channel 12 predicted a tie, at 60 seats each.

    “The rightist bloc led by Likud has won a clear victory,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “I will begin forming a right-wing government with our natural partner this very night.”

    A spokesman for Gantz’s party declared: “We won. The Israeli public has had their say.”

    Ofer Zalzberg, senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, said Likud and Blue and White would have to learn the fate of smaller parties to know whether they had garnered enough support for a coalition.

    “Netanyahu is more likely to establish another right-wing government, but we will have to wait and see,” he said.

    COALITION-BUILDING

    A close result in the election would put smaller parties in a powerful position, even turning marginal political figures into kingmakers.

    Once the votes are tallied, President Reuven Rivlin will ask parties that have won parliamentary seats who they support for prime minister. He will then pick a party leader to try to form a coalition, giving the candidate 28 days to do so, with a two-week extension if needed.

    One factor may be the turnout of voters from Israel’s 21 percent Arab minority. Many were angered by Israel’s nation-state law, passed in 2018, which declared that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country. Netanyahu supported the legislation.

    Netanyahu’s party sent monitors equipped with body cameras to a number of polling stations with Arab constituents on election day. Arab politicians condemned the move as voter intimidation.

    Voting in Tel Aviv, businessman Dedi Cohen, 44, said he supported Gantz. “I considered voting for Bibi (Netanyahu). Life isn’t bad: I’ve been around the world and seen that Israel is a good place in terms of the economy and security.

    “But still, a change is in order. After 13 years, it’s time for some ventilation up top,” added Cohen.

    Backing Netanyahu, Avi Gur, 65, a lecturer at Ariel University in a settlement in the West Bank, said he was “very excited”.

    “I hope that rightism will win,” he said.


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    3 Comments
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    HeshyEmes
    Active Member
    HeshyEmes
    4 years ago

    Poor guy. Gantz really thinks that he could form a coalition with the Arsbs. Even if he wins more seats than Netanyahu (unlikely); he still has no way to form a coalition.

    puppydogs
    puppydogs
    4 years ago

    This is like Hillary declaring victory. FEH.

    lazy-boy
    Active Member
    lazy-boy
    4 years ago

    similar to Hilary Clinton who won more popular votes but did not become president; here Gantz might win more votes than Bibi, but won’t be PM…..