Binyamin Netanyahu would be reelected as Prime Minister if elections were held today, a new poll shows.
The current coalition of right-wing, religious, and center-right parties would retain their majority if new elections were held today, a survey by the Panels polling agency claims.
The poll, published in Maariv on Friday, shows the Likud retaining its status as the largest party in the Knesset, regardless of who leads the Labor Party after Monday’s runoff vote between former Environmental Protection Minister Avi Gabai (formerly of Kulanu) and ex-Defense Minister Amir Peretz.
Peretz slightly outperforms Gabai as chairman of the party in a general election, though in both cases Labor remains in a distant third place.
If Peretz were to lead the party in new elections today, Labor would win 17 seats – a drop of 7 compared to 2015. Under Gabai, the party would lose 8 seats, falling to 16 mandates.
Netanyahu’s Likud would lose 4 seats to 26 if Labor were to be led by Peretz, compared with a lose of 5 seats if Gabai leads Labor.
Yesh Atid would gain 9 seats if Peretz chairs Labor, rising to 20 mandates total, or gain 10 seats to a total of 21 if Gabai prevails in Monday’s primary vote.
Regardless of who chairs the Labor Party, the Jewish Home party gains 4 seats for a total of 12, while the predominantly Arab Joint List loses one seat, falling to 12. In either case, Yisrael Beytenu retains its six seats, while the haredi United Torah Judaism party gains one, rising to seven.
Shas would fall to just five seats, compared to the seven it currently holds, if Peretz leads Labor. If Gabai heads Labor, Shas would lose just one seat, falling to six.
The far-left Meretz party would gain one seat, rising to six, if Peretz leads Labor, and would gain two, for seven total, if Gabai heads Labor.
Former Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon’s new party fails to pass the minimum electoral threshold of 3.25%, as do former Interior Minister’s Yahad party, and ex-Likud MK Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut party.
A total of 557 respondents participated in the Panels poll, which has a 4.3% margin of error. The poll was conducted last Wednesday.