2021 Elections: With the publication of the TV models tonight (Tuesday), the headquarters of the Yesh Atid party in Tel Aviv tried to convey the message that everything is still open. On the other hand, there were those around the party’s chairman, Yair Lapid, who seemed disappointed with the results, especially in light of the fact that the bloc’s parties passed the blocking percentage – and far beyond what the latest polls expected. Shortly after the samples were published, Lapid thanked activists and supporters. “You’re The Best. Thanks!”.
After updating the sample results, Yair Lapid spoke at the party headquarters and said: “This is a great achievement. The parties below us are not even half of us in the number of mentees. We did it responsibly without tainting and overthrowing any party in the bloc, we maintained hope and ability to form a government with bloc parties.
“I have said thousands of times to Knesset members in the party – let’s make everyone proud. Tonight, we have an even better reason to be proud of the result we brought. At the moment, Netanyahu has 61 seats and the bloc of change has 61 seats, which means that according to the results, Government on the voices of the Kahanists.
He added: “We will hold talks with the bloc parties and do everything we can to establish a sane government in Israel. I thank all the activists and supporters who have been with us all along. We have made a tremendous achievement. We have come to change and we have come for years,” Lapid signed.
Earlier today, the Yesh Atid party claimed in the evening that the goal of passing the blockade to the small parties in the center-left bloc had been successfully achieved, according to indications from party officials. Until the polls closed, their goal was to bring the Tel Aviv-based undecided audience in the main. In addition, Bish Atid instructed the Knesset members who served as observers at the polls not to leave them, and to come down only after they closed – in order to maintain the purity of the elections and prevent forgeries.
Sources in the party told Israel Today at the election headquarters last night: “Lapid’s strategy was successful. While it was clear that there was going to be a close struggle and that there was a danger of wasting votes in the bloc, Yesh Atid chose to be the responsible adult and made sure all small parties move without smearing anyone.”
The sources added: “Now it is only to be hoped that the parties that have disappointed their voters once, or that have committed to walk with a particular bloc will not disappoint their voters.”
Meanwhile, yesterday morning, when Iir Lapid went to the polls with his wife, Lehi, at the polls in the Ramat Aviv neighborhood of Shabbat, he was asked by “Israel Hayom” whether he would also say in this election that he needed one more seat to win. But this time he increased and clarified : “We need one more seat and a little bit.”
In talks with Israel Today, once again, sources close to Lapid clarified that a huge “Yesh Atid” with more than 20-22 seats could erase some of the bloc’s parties – an undesirable result in the party’s eyes. Yesh Atid wonders what will happen on the day after the election, when the narrative is that if Lapid, Saar and Bennett reach 61 seats together, the solution will be found to form such a government.
Leaving the polls, Lapid said: “This is the moment of truth of the State of Israel and in the end everything drains into two possibilities – either there is a great future or a government of darkness that will take the money of working people and transfer it to people who do not work.”
Later in the day, Lapid toured the strongholds of the undecided, especially in the city of Tel Aviv, where the turnout is lowest. This is a profile of voters that the party has no difficulty in recruiting, but should encourage the ballot box.