Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni's centrist Kadima party held on to its narrow lead over the hardline Likud party of Benjamin Netanyahu after all votes were counted in the Israeli election on Thursday, dpa reported.
The official final result took into account the votes of soldiers, diplomats, prison inmates and hospital patients, whose ballots are always tallied after the others.
Kadima emerged as the largest party after winning 28 seats in the 120-member lower house of parliament, the Knesset, one more than Likud.
Likud and Kadima officials meanwhile continued their efforts to get backing from other parties ahead of consultations President Shimon Peres must hold with all factions in parliament before nominating a legislator to for a new government.
...