JERUSALEM, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The makeup of Israel's next government remained unclear early Wednesday as votes counted thus far showed the Kadima and Likud parties neck and neck.Kadima, the party of Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, was projected to have won 29 Knesset seats and Likud, headed by Binyamin Netanyahu, 28 with 76 percent of the votes counted as of 2:30 a.m., The Jerusalem Post reported. Israel Beiteinu was projected to pick up 16 seats, Labor 12, Shas 11, Meretz 4, United Torah Judaism 4, National Union 4, Hadash 4, Bayit Hayihudi 3, United Arab List 3 and Balad 2 seats, the newspaper said.
Voter turnout was 65.2 percent, or 2 percentage points higher than in the 2006 national elections.
Though votes were still being tabulated, Netanyahu declared early Wednesday he would be Israel's next prime minister and that talks with other parties would start as early as Wednesday, the Post reported. "With God's help I will stand at the head of the next government," he told the supporters at Tel Aviv's airport.
With a key bloc of seats, Israel Beiteinu were to discuss the electoral situation Wednesday, though party leader Avigdor Lieberman indicated he favored siding with Likud. "It's true that Tzipi Livni won a surprise victory," Lieberman said. "But what is more important is that the right-wing camp won a clear majority ... . We want a right-wing government."
Kadima leaders claimed victory, too, saying Livni would be able to form a government with at least Labor, Meretz and Israel Beiteinu.