(29 Mar 2006)
1. Screen on Rabin Square showing countdown to result
2. People watching screen
3. Result on screen
4. Various people watching screen
5. SOUNDBITE (English): Tzvika Yeagzkeli, Channel 10 analyst of Arab Affairs:
"It's very encouraging to know that the next coalition is going to be Kadima and the left wing, which means the next government who is going to deal with the Palestinians is going to be a more easy government for the next step, which we were talking about, Kadima and Hamas, and I think if we're talking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, this is a very good news for the Israeli people, because the next government is going to draw up the map or the borders of the map on the West Bank, and like Olmert said, with or without the Palestinians, we're going to do it."
6. Tracking shot of people in square
7. SOUNDBITE (English): Avraham Hirshzon, Tourism Minister of Kadima party:
"I'm very happy, because it's the first time that Kadima is going to the election, Kadima is the biggest party, and Kadima will be the leading party in Israel, Ehud Olmert will be the Prime Minister and we have some possibilities to make coalition. I hope that it will be a great coalition, a big coalition, to good future for the state of Israel."
8. People in square
9. SOUNDBITE (English): Ofir Pines, Labor Knesset member:
"We the Labor Party see it as a success. First of all we succeed in having our agenda as the number one agenda in the campaign, and it's very meaningful, and I'm sure that it's going to be the lead point of the next coalition, no matter who is going to settle it. I think that Kadima got, you know, had much higher expectations. I think that they've made a major, big mistake by telling everyone ten days ago that the elections are all over."
10. Cleaners picking up ballots from ground
STORYLINE
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's centrist Kadima Party appeared headed for victory in Israeli elections on Tuesday, with projections showing it capturing less parliament seats than expected but probably enough to form a coalition behind his plan to withdraw from much of the West Bank and set Israel's borders by 2010.
Olmert, a protege of ailing Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has said he would only govern with parties that accept his program, and projections showed a centre-left coalition capturing between 61 and 65 seats in the 120-member parliament.
The hawkish parties fell far short of their plan to win enough seats to block Olmert's plan.
Final results were expected early on Wednesday.
Olmert could form a government in a coalition with Labor, the dovish Meretz and a party that advocates pensions for retirees, or he could add the Shas or United Torah Judaism parties to his government.
Tzvika Yeagzkeli, analyst of Arab Affairs for Israel's Channel 10, said a Kadima coalition with the left would be "very encouraging".
"This is a very good news for the Israeli people," he said, "because the next government is going to draw up the map or the borders of the map on the West Bank, and like Olmert said, with or without the Palestinians, we're going to do it."
Projections gave Labor 20-22 seats, a strong showing by new party leader Amir Peretz, who ran on a social platform advocating a higher minimum wage and guaranteed pensions for the elderly.
Labor Knesset member Ofir Pines hailed the result as a success for Labor.
"We succeed in having our agenda as the number one agenda in the campaign," he said.
Likud, which had dominated Israeli politics for decades, was crushed, dropping from the 38 seats it won in the last election to between 11 and 12 seats.
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