Israeli voters were deciding Tuesday whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in office after a decade in power as they cast ballots in a national election that has become a referendum of sorts on their longtime leader.
Clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments, Netanyahu is seeking a fourth consecutive and a fifth overall term in office, which would make him Israel's longest-serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.He faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose Blue and White party has inched ahead of Netanyahu's Likud in polls.
Netanyahu cast his ballot shortly thereafter in Jerusalem, alongside his wife, Sara, urging all Israelis to vote and saying it is a"sacred act." As many as half a dozen parties are teetering on the threshold for entering the Knesset, or parliament. A failure by any of these parties to get the required 3.25% of total votes cast could have a dramatic impact on who ultimately forms the next coalition. The Israeli government needs a parliamentary majority to rule, and since no party has ever earned more than half of the 120 seats in the Knesset, a coalition is required.
His nationalist allies, however, see the move as a repeat of his 2015 election tactic to draw away their voters as he did four years ago when on election day, he warned of Arabs turning out in"droves." The scare tactics were seen as helping him seal a come-from-behind victory.
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