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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rival Benny Gantz are jostling over the terms of a unity government, after the country’s second election in a year ended in deadlock.
Local media say both men’s parties failed to win enough votes on Tuesday to build a coalition with a majority.
Netanyahu urged Gantz to start negotiations on a joint administration.
Gantz rebuffed the idea, calling it spin. He said he wanted a unity government — but only one led by him.
His party has ruled out joining a coalition led by Mr Netanyahu, who faces possible corruption charges.
At a ceremony attended by both party leaders in Jerusalem, President Reuven Rivlin said he had heard “loud and clear the voices calling for a broad and stable national unity government” and praised the prime minister for “joining that call”.
Rivlin will hold consultations with party representatives before nominating a candidate whom he believes has the best chance of forming a government.
Official results have been slow to be released by the Central Election Committee, with only 68.6% of votes counted by 16:23 (13:23 GMT) on Thursday.
Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party is 0.77% ahead of Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party. The Joint List, an alliance of Arab parties, is in third place, the ultra-Orthodox Shas party in fourth, and the secular nationalist Yisrael Beiteinu party in fifth.
The CEC tally does not say how this translates into seats in the 120-seat Knesset (parliament) but Israeli media reported that Blue and White was on track to win 33 seats, two more than Likud.
A centre-left bloc led by Mr Gantz was projected to control 57 seats and a bloc of right-wing and religious parties allied to Netanyahu looked set to have 55. — AP
Bongani Ndlovu
Online Reporter