Yair Golan's Democrats projected to win 9-10 Knesset seats in Israeli election, exit polls show

Israeli election exit polls project between nine and 10 seats for Yair Golan's Democrats, potentially more than doubling the party's parliamentary representation as coalition negotiations loom.

The Democrats were projected to win between nine and 10 seats, according to exit polls published by Channels 11, 12, and 13 on Tuesday night.

The projections would give the party between nine and 10 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 4 seats in the outgoing parliament.

The results could significantly affect coalition negotiations and the next government's ability to secure a parliamentary majority. However, exit polls are preliminary projections, and the final distribution of seats will depend on the official vote count and the allocation of Knesset seats.

The Democrats, led by former deputy IDF chief of staff Yair Golan, entered election night projected to secure between eight and ten seats in the 26th Knesset, according to final pre-election polling published ahead of the vote. Final surveys broadcast by Channel 12 and the Kan public broadcaster, as well as polls by Maariv and The Jerusalem Post, all projected 10 seats for Golan's slate.

Throughout the campaign, Golan positioned the party around a platform of “fundamental change.” A key component of its agenda focused on what they alleged to be safeguarding Israeli democracy, with Golan promising legislation to bar politicians under criminal indictment from serving as prime minister or cabinet ministers, while giving full backing to the judiciary and Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara against government attempts to undermine them.

On domestic policy, the party advocated for the separation of religion and state, including the introduction of civil marriage and protecting the right of businesses to operate on Shabbat. The Democrats also targeted National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir over his handling of the rising crime wave in Arab communities and voiced firm opposition to military draft exemptions for Haredi men.

Golan's Democrats oppose West Bank annexation, back demilitarized Palestinian state

On security and diplomacy, Golan rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy of repeated military rounds in favor of pursuing a broader regional accord that would divide the land and establish a demilitarized Palestinian state. The party platform explicitly opposed West Bank annexation, called for a complete halt to state funding for illegal outposts, and pledged to strip Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of his civil administration powers in the West Bank to return authoritative control to the IDF.

Golan ruled out joining any coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu or sitting alongside Smotrich, Ben-Gvir, or the ultra-Orthodox parties. However, unlike other opposition leaders, Golan openly backed sitting with Arab parties, such as Ra'am, in a future governing coalition, describing their participation as a natural and necessary component of Israeli democracy.

Formed in July 2024 through a merger between the Labor Party and Meretz, The Democrats was established as a unified liberal-democratic Zionist framework aimed at consolidating the Israeli left and preventing a repeat of the 2022 election, where splintered left-wing votes left Meretz below the 3.25% electoral threshold. The party's primary slate was selected in July, placing incumbent lawmakers Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv, and Efrat Rayten behind Golan.