By Said Amuri
JERUSALEM (AA) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has the best chance of forming a government according to final election results released Friday.
The right-wing party captured 36 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, or parliament, said the Yediot Aharonot daily, citing data from the Central Elections Committee.
Retired general Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party -- Likud's main rival -- clinched 35 seats, according to the data.
"The right-wing bloc [led by Likud] now has a 65-55 advantage over the Left and the Arab parties. However, minor changes to the final tally may still be forthcoming," the daily said.
The ultra-Orthodox Shas Party got eight seats, the right-wing United Torah Judaism party got seven seats, the center-right Labor and Hadash-Ta'al parties tied with six seats each, Yisrael Beytenu and the Union of Right-Wing Parties each got five seats and Meretz, Kulanu and UAL-Balad four each.
More than 40 parties vied in Tuesday’s election with some 61% of voters casting ballots.
Netanyahu had run in the polls while facing corruption and bribery charges in three cases.
If he manages to form a new government, he will be the longest-serving leader in Israel's history.