New poll says Netanyahu neck and neck with Livni, Herzog's Labor

[oberliner]

Poll says joint center-left party led by Labor and Hatnua ties and even takes lead on Netanyahu-led Likud; with rightist Bayit Yehudi coming in third, Kachlon's new centrist party fourth.

The joint Labor-Hatnua party is now neck and neck with the ruling Likud party, a new Channel 2 poll claimed.

According to the poll, if the elections were held today, the newly merged center-left party, led in rotation by Labor Chairman Isaac Herzog and Hatnua Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, would take 24 Knesset seats while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud would take only 23.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4602735,00.html

[shira]

1. How are Livni & Herzog going to form a majority coalition?

Bibi and company can lose to Livni and Herzog but still gather a majority coalition, just like what happened in 2008.

[oberliner]

2. It would be tough

Personally, I don't see it happening, unfortunately.

[sabbat hunter]

3. they would probably have to

get Yesh Atid to join up with them, along with Meretz. Then they need to get Kulanu to break the agreement with Yisrael Beiteinu and join the coalition instead. That should put them over the top with more than 61 mandates.

Kachlon has said recently that he supports a two state solution, which is why I would include him in this coalition.