Partial results from Israel’s general election show veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is leading his rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, but is still short of a majority in parliament.

With 85% of ballots counted, Netanyahu’s Likud party and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish allies were on track to win 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset. Eisenkot’s Yashar party and three other Jewish opposition parties in his bloc were set for 48.

Both leaders have said they will try to form a governing coalition.

Arab-led parties, who are on course to win an unprecedented 19 seats, could emerge as kingmakers, but all but one of the Jewish parties have pledged not to work with them.

With between 430,000 and 480,000 absentee ballots from soldiers and diplomats yet to be counted, it could still take a day or two for the final election results to emerge.

Once they are confirmed, President Isaac Herzog will hold consultations with all the political factions and invite the leader whom he believes has the best chance of success to form a government – a process that could take weeks.

If they fail, then ultimately there would have to be another election.