Knesset elections are taking place in Israel on November 1 - this is the fifth parliamentary election in the country in the last three and a half years.
Current opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister several times in the past, is expected to lead the government again. His right-wing conservative Likud party, according to the latest public opinion polls, could once again become the ruling force. It is unclear, however, whether Netanyahu's supporters will have the decisive number of seats. A minimum of 61 seats is required for a parliamentary majority, and supporters of the ex-prime minister are currently predicted to win 60 seats out of 120.
In total, 40 parties are participating in the elections to the unicameral Knesset, 11 of which, according to polls, have a chance of gaining enough votes to enter parliament. The main rival of "Likud" is the centrist party "Esh Atid", which is led by the current Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
On Monday, Lapid tweeted that Israelis deserve "a government made up of honest and hard-working people."
Much like after last year's elections, the formation of a new cabinet can take weeks or even months. In Israel, as the agencies note, even parties from a similar political sector often cannot form alliances. Netanyahu, 73, has previously faced failed attempts to assemble a governing coalition. In the camp of his opponents, both left and right forces are now trying to prevent the Likuda leader from returning to the chair. In addition, Benjamin Netanyahu remains under investigation on corruption charges.
One of the decisive factors in the current voting is called the turnout among the Arab population, which makes up 20% of the total number of citizens of approximately 9 million 400 thousand people.
In June, Israel's eight-party coalition, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, collapsed after losing its majority. It lasted only a year. The government was headed by the head of the foreign policy department, Lapid. He will remain in power until a new cabinet is formed.
