Israel election: What happens next?

With 70% of the vote counted at 11am local time, the base numbers for Netanyahu and Eisenkot’s parties largely haven’t changed.

The final vote tally ​is expected by October 30 and official election results are formally published a week after ​the election, on November 4. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies appear on track to win the most seats in Israel's parliament ​after an election this week, though neither he nor his main competitor, Gadi ‌Eisenkot, has a clear path to a majority.

Votes are now being tallied, followed by potentially long negotiations as parties try to assemble a governing coalition. 

If those talks fail, Israel could head to another round of ​elections.

WHEN WILL WE KNOW IF ANYONE WON?

Israel's Central Election Committee was tallying votes on ​Wednesday, and it will likely take until Thursday before definitive results of the ⁠election are known.

The committee will also tally hundreds of thousands of ballots by Israeli soldiers, ​as well as diplomats, who voted from outside the country.

The committee's tallying followed exit polls from ​major Israeli TV channels. Those polls can help give a general sense of each party’s relative strength but are not considered a reliable barometer of precise results, particularly in Israel’s fragmented political system.

The final vote tally ​is expected by October 30 and official election results are formally published a week after ​the election, on November 4.

WHY IS IT SO COMPLICATED?

The Knesset seats are allocated by proportional representation to national ‌party lists, ⁠with parties needing to pass a threshold of 3.25% of the national vote to secure seats.

About a dozen parties are widely thought to have a chance of crossing the threshold, so the final tally and seat allocation will take time.

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE RESULTS ARE PUBLISHED?

After the final ​tally is in, President ​Isaac Herzog will consult ⁠party leaders on whom they want as prime minister and then tap the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a ​government.

That nominee has up to 42 days to form a government.

No single ​party in ⁠Israel has ever won an outright majority, so governments are formed by a coalition of parties, and negotiations on forming a government often take weeks. Every Knesset seat counts and small parties can have ⁠a big ​impact by becoming kingmakers.

If the nominee fails, others can ​get a chance to try. If no government emerges, another election is called, with the present cabinet staying on as ​a caretaker government.

- Reuters