17th Mar 2015 06:29
Tel Aviv (Alliance News) - Polling stations opened across Israel on Tuesday as nearly 5.9 million eligible voters were called to elect a new parliament.
The more than 10,000 polling stations were due to close at 10 pm local time, with exit polls expected to be published soon after.
Of the 25 parties and lists running in the election, about 11 are expected to make it past the 3.25% threshold and send lawmakers to the Knesset.
The Zionist Camp, a centre-left alliance led by Labour Party leader Isaac Herzog and former justice minister Tzipi Livni, has been leading the polls ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud.
With neither side expected to win an outright majority, Moshe Kahlon, a former Likud minister who has formed his own centre-right party, could emerge as kingmaker. Kahlon has refused to say whether he will join a coalition led by Netanyahu or Herzog.
Preliminary results are expected by Wednesday and final results by March 25.
Copyright dpa