JERUSALEM (AP) — Israelis vote Tuesday in an unprecedented repeat election that will decide whether longtime Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stays in power despite a looming indictment on corruption charges.
Netanyahu, the longest-serving leader in Israeli history, is seeking a fourth consecutive term, and fifth overall. He faces a stiff challenge from retired military chief Benny Gantz, whose centrist Blue and White party is running even with Netanyahu's Likud in polls.
Both parties could struggle to form a majority coalition with smaller allies, though, forcing them into a potential unity government.
Netanyahu has tried to portray himself as a seasoned statesman who is uniquely qualified to lead the country through challenging times. Gantz has tried to paint Netanyahu as divisive and scandal-plagued, offering himself as a calming influence and an honest alternative.
Tuesday's vote marks their second showdown of the year after drawing even in an April election.
Netanyahu appeared likely to remain in office at the time, with his traditional allies of nationalist and ultra-religious Jewish parties controlling a parliamentary majority.
But Avigdor Lieberman, his mercurial ally-turned-rival, refused to join the new coalition, citing excessive influence it granted the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties. Without a parliamentary majority, Netanyahu dissolved parliament and called a new election.
Opinion polls have forecast similar results this time around, potentially putting Lieberman again in the role of kingmaker.
After voting on Tuesday, Lieberman reiterated his promise to force a unity government between Likud and Blue and White. He vowed there will not be a third round of elections and said the parties will have to deal with the "constellation" that emerges from this vote.
The performance by the Soviet-born politician's Yisrael Beitenu party is just one of the factors that could determine Netanyahu's future. Several small parties are fighting to squeak past the minimum 3.25% threshold for entering parliament. The performances of these parties could make or break Netanyahu's ability to form a coalition.
Netanyahu is desperate to secure a narrow 61-seat majority in parliament with his hard-line religious and nationalist allies, who are expected to approve legislation that would grant him immunity from prosecution.
Israel's attorney general has recommended pressing criminal charges against Netanyahu in three corruption cases, pending a long delayed pretrial hearing scheduled for October.
With his career on the line, Netanyahu has campaigned furiously and taken a hard turn to the right in hopes of rallying his nationalist base.
He's staged a flurry of media appearances to beseech supporters to vote in large numbers to stave off the prospect of a left-wing government he says will endanger the country's security. He also has accused his opponents of conspiring with Arab politicians to "steal" the election, a message that has drawn accusations of racism and incitement.
Heavier turnout by Arab voters, many of whom stayed home in April, could hurt Netanyahu. After casting his ballot, the leader of the main Arab faction in parliament, Ayman Odeh, said Netanyahu was "obsessive" in his incitement toward Arabs. He said the answer for that was that his constituents "must be first-class voters on the way to becoming first-class citizens."
Voter turnout has emerged as a key element of this election day, which is a national holiday to encourage participation. In the April election, turnout was about 69%, slightly below the 72% figure in the previous election in 2015.
