Netanyahu declares victory in election; Herzog says Likud celebration is premature [Israel]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3268919/posts
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared victory after the first exit polls released following Tuesday’s elections showed the Likud ahead of, or tied with, the Zionist Union.
Netanyahu wrote on his Facebook page: “Against all odds, a great victory for the Likud, for the nationalist camp led by the Likud, and for the people of Israel.”
The numbers for Netanyahu’s Likud were better than expected after pre-election polls had showed him trailing Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union by as much as five mandates.
The Zionist Union rejected conjecture that the results of the exit polls show that Netanyahu will form the next coalition.
“The Likud continues to err. The right-wing bloc has gotten smaller. Everything is open until the final results are in and we will know which parties passed the electoral threshold and what kind of government we can form. All of the spin and the commentary is too early. We have formed a negotiating team with the goal of putting together a coalition led by Herzog.”
“The Likud continues to err. The right-wing bloc has gotten smaller. Everything is open until the final results are in and we will know which parties passed the electoral threshold and what kind of government we can form. All of the spin and the commentary is too early. We have formed a negotiating team with the goal of putting together a coalition led by Herzog.”