Israel Election Results - 99% of ballots counted

It's been difficult to get a clear picture of the Israeli election results in what has turned out to be a very tight race, surprisingly. The israeli newspaper haaretz is providing a live time update as votes are counted, and with 99% of the ballots now in, the only clear outcome is that there is going to be a whole lot of horse trading going on to form a government - not a new concept in Israeli politics. A quick glance at the attached screenshot (taken at 22:00 EST February 10, 2009) shows the two major parties are virtually tied, with Kadima retaining only one more seat in the Knesset than Likud. While there are some outstanding ballots to be counted (mostly military) it will definitely be up to the third and fourth party candidates to ultimately determine what the new government looks like.

It is clear, however, that overall the government has taken a sharp swing to the right and that the various green parties really need to band together if they ever want to get a seat at the table. It will probably take a few more days for the results to be certified. There have been many allegations of election fraud that will need to be investigated.