Israel election 2022: Voting begins as Benjamin Netanyahu and Yair Lapid vie for premiership
Netanyahu seeking to return to power as Lapid holds on
The voting for the fifth general election in less than four years began on Tuesday to determine the 25th Knesset.
People were seen lining upoutiside the polling stations, which opened at 5 am (GMT).They have until 8 pm (GMT) to cast their ballot.
The latest election follows the collapse of the coalition government headed by Caretaker Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who was successful in ousting Benjamin Netanyahu last year.
Tuesday's vote is being held in the wake of soaring violence across Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank.
Several opinion polls prior to the Tuesday voting showed right-wing Likud Party head Netanyahu leading by a slender margin.
Polls by local channels have predicted the Netanyahu-led bloc to get 60 seats, one short of a majority in the 120-member Knesset.
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Watch |Israel to hold fifth election in four years: It's Benjamin Netanyahu vs Yair Lapid
All the surveys found Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s current coalition partners together garnering 56 seats, with the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al faction forecast to receive four mandates, reports AFP news agency.
A day prior to the voting, Lapid made one last pitch to sway the voters in his favour saying, that they will "continue” what they have “begun" and predicted, "We'll win these elections the only way we know -- by working harder than everyone else.”
On the other hand, Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption and breach of trust, while addressing party members recently said that only he was capable of keeping the country safe.
Also read |Israel elections: Final TV polls indicate that the Netanyahu bloc is one seat short of a majority
"I ask you to go to all of your friends, all of your neighbours, all of your relatives, and tell them that nobody stays home," the 73-year-old known as Bibi said.
(With inputs from agencies)
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