The last 150,000 votes in Tuesday's election are being counted in the Knesset today - those of the soldiers, prison inmates, hospital patients, and diplomats abroad. Minor changes can be expected in the final tallies of Knesset seats. Yisrael B'Aliyah, the Likud, and the NRP are close to an extra mandate, while the Arab parties may end up losing one. The final results are not expected before 8:00 this evening.
The Yisrael B'Aliyah party, which received only two Knesset seats, is considering various options. Party founder Natan Sharansky announced yesterday that he would give up his Knesset seat, as his way of assuming responsibility for the party's poor showing. Both the National Union and the National Religious Party have reportedly contacted Sharansky's party, with the goal of either merging or forming a united front for the coalition negotiations. The count of the soldiers' votes may give Yisrael B'Aliyah an extra seat, as it is currently very close to receiving one, while National Union (7 seats) fears that it may lose one - as it gained its last seat with only 75 votes to spare.
Outgoing MK Michael Kleiner of Herut said that a few days before the election, he received the results of an internal poll showing that there was a reasonable doubt of his party passing the minimum vote threshold. Herut in fact received just over 34,000 votes (not including the soldiers' votes), some 10,000 fewer votes than necessary to enter the Knesset. Kleiner, who chose Baruch Marzel as his party's #2 candidate, said that he did not back out after receiving the results because the outcome was so iffy that he felt a responsibility to "stick it out."
The Yisrael B'Aliyah party, which received only two Knesset seats, is considering various options. Party founder Natan Sharansky announced yesterday that he would give up his Knesset seat, as his way of assuming responsibility for the party's poor showing. Both the National Union and the National Religious Party have reportedly contacted Sharansky's party, with the goal of either merging or forming a united front for the coalition negotiations. The count of the soldiers' votes may give Yisrael B'Aliyah an extra seat, as it is currently very close to receiving one, while National Union (7 seats) fears that it may lose one - as it gained its last seat with only 75 votes to spare.
Outgoing MK Michael Kleiner of Herut said that a few days before the election, he received the results of an internal poll showing that there was a reasonable doubt of his party passing the minimum vote threshold. Herut in fact received just over 34,000 votes (not including the soldiers' votes), some 10,000 fewer votes than necessary to enter the Knesset. Kleiner, who chose Baruch Marzel as his party's #2 candidate, said that he did not back out after receiving the results because the outcome was so iffy that he felt a responsibility to "stick it out."