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         Israeli Exit Polls Show Surprisingly Narrow Netanyahu Victory

   by VOA News

   Exit polls in Israel show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud
   party winning a narrow victory in Tuesday's parliamentary elections,
   after a surprisingly strong showing by centrists.

   Data published as the polls closed showed Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu
   slate winning 31 seats in the 120-member Knesset.  The centrist secular
   Yesh Atid held 19, followed by the Labor Party with 17 seats and the
   far-right religious nationalist Jewish Home with 12.

   Israeli media describe centrist Yesh Atid's showing as the the biggest
   surprise of the day, with the party finishing well above pre-election
   predictions.

   Analysts say the strong showing of Yesh Atid positions party leader
   Yair Lapid to become either opposition leader or alternately gain a
   major Cabinet post if he decides to join Netanyahu's governing
   coalition.

   Backed by hardline and religious allies, Netanyahu is still seen able
   to form a narrow parliamentary majority.

   The economy was a major priority for voters. The campaign tended to be
   dominated by social and economic issues: jobs, the high cost of
   housing, and domestic issues such as the fact that ultra-Orthodox Jews
   and Arabs are exempted from the military draft, which some secular
   Israelis feel is unfair.
   Netanyahu's government has campaigned on a record of shielding Israel
   from the global financial crisis, with the Bank of Israel forecasting
   economic growth of 3 percent for 2012. But, Israel's growing budget
   deficit is expected to force the next government into potentially
   unpopular austerity measures such as spending cuts and tax increases.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/israel-exit-polls-surprisingly-narrow
   -netanyahu-victory/1588934.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/israel-exit-polls-surprisingly-narrow-netanyahu-victory/1588934.html