Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has returned to power, as the final vote count from elections last week declared a clear majority in parliament, the Knesset, for him and his far-right allies. Last week’s election was Israel’s fifth election in less than four years.
The results released by the country’s electoral commission last week declared that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party had got 32 seats in the 120-seat parliament. Netanyahu’s Likud party won 32 seats, while ultra-Orthodox parties secured 18 seats, and a far-right alliance accomplished 14 seats, said the Israeli electoral commission on Thursday.
Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest serving Prime Minister. He was elected as the premier for the first time almost 26 years ago. With his latest win, the 73-year-old leader will not only head the largest party in the Knesset, but also lead a 64-strong majority bloc of his religious and right-wing allies in the Israeli parliament. He is the second world leader after Brazil’s Lula da Silva to return to power in the span of just one week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday congratulated Benjamin Netanyahu for being re-elected as the Prime Minister of Israel. The Prime Minister also thanked former Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid for his priority to the India-Israel strategic partnership.
