Jerusalem, 29 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — With 91% of valid votes counted, Shas is reeling from an electoral collapse, winning just six Knesset seats and facing slim odds of securing a seventh.
Shas leaders are struggling to absorb the scale of the party’s electoral collapse. Updated results give the Sephardi Haredi party little chance of securing a seventh seat after double-envelope ballots are counted.
Shas has received 273,708 votes so far, down from 392,964 in the 2022 election, a loss of more than 100,000 voters despite natural growth in the Haredi population.
The party suffered losses in Haredi cities, where some voters shifted to United Torah Judaism and Itamar Ben-Gvir’s party.
The party rented a large event hall and prepared an elaborate stage and orchestra for election-night celebrations, but as initial results revealed the extent of its losses, activists were told to leave, and the celebration was canceled.
