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Inconclusive polls: No clear-cut Netanyahu challenger

In the March 23 elections, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the clear favorite — but against whom?

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - MARCH 03: Sara Netanyahu and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thank supporters at the Likud Party after vote celebration on March 03, 2020 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Early results show that Netanyahu has claimed victory in Israel's general election, putting him ahead of rival Benny Gantz, but still short of a majority. (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
Sara Netanyahu and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thank supporters at the Likud party after vote celebrations, Tel Aviv, Israel, March 03, 2020. — Amir Levy/Getty Images

For several weeks now, the ruling Likud party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stagnating in the polls. Although the Likud is still by far the biggest party with the widest lead in the polls, and the public persistently pegs Netanyahu as the candidate best suited to be prime minister, his victory in the March 23 elections is far from assured.

Stranger still is the fact that not a single poll points to a clear winner who could replace Israel’s longest-serving premier. At least three candidates stand a chance, at least theoretically: opposition chair and head of the Yesh Atid party Yair Lapid; former Likud stalwart Gideon Saar, who recently formed the New Hope party; and former Defense Minister and Chair of the Yamina party Naftali Bennett.

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