Gap between Netanyahu, Gantz is closing; should PM be worried? - poll
Maariv poll shows Gantz voters declining, coalition still shrinking
The coalition’s bloc is down to 48 mandates should there be elections now, according to a poll conducted for Maariv by Lazar Research. This is against the backdrop of the northern border tensions, the continued IDF operation in Rafah, and tensions in the government on the haredi draft and rabbi bills.
The opposition bloc rose to 62 mandates, without two Arab-led parties, which would allow it, should it stay united, to formulate a coalition without being dependent on the Islamic Ra’am Party.
The poll, led by Dr. Menachem Lazar, shows the left-wing Meretz Party rising above the electoral threshold with four mandates while the Religious Zionist Party, led by led by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, remains below the threshold, with only 2.7% support.
The National Unity Party, led by former emergency government minister-without-portfolio Benny Gantz, dropped by one mandate from the previous poll and stands at 23 mandates.
The poll, conducted in partnership with Panel4All, found that Likud is one step below National Unity with 22 mandates – one more than the previous poll – while Yesh Atid went from 15 to 16 mandates, Yisrael Beytenu stayed at a steady 14, as did Shas with 10.
For several weeks, the far-Right Otzma Yehudit Party has been polling at nine mandates, United Torah Judaism at seven; the Labor Party at five; and Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am, both at five.
Who should be the next prime minister of Israel?
Of those polled, 42% believe that Benny Gantz is the most suitable candidate for prime minister, while 35% support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The remaining 23% are still undecided.
Among right-wing voters, 2% favor Gantz, and 90% favor Netanyahu; among center-left voters, 84% are for Gantz and 3% are for Netanyahu; and among Arab party voters, 47% are for Gantz and 0% are for Netanyahu.
The poll was conducted on Wednesday among 510 respondents, constituting a representative sample of the adult population in Israel, Jews and Arabs alike.
The maximum sampling error is 4.4%.
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