With 99.5 percent of the vote in the Knesset election counted Wednesday morning, front-runner Kadima had a less than expected 28 seats, Labor were on target for 20 seats, and Shas rose to 13, making the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party the third largest faction in the Knesset.

Election observers had yet to count the votes of Israel Defense Forces soldiers, Israeli diplomats abroad, hospitalized patients, incarcerated citizens and Israeli mariners. Their votes could alter the final results slightly.

The Likud had hoped to block a center-left coalition, but with almost all of the votes in weakened to 11 seats, far below the figures the party had hoped and a far cry from the 38 seats it won under Ariel Sharon in 2003.

Avigdor Lieberman's Russian immigrant-dominated faction Yisrael Beiteinu captured 12 seats, positioning itself as the chief opposition party to head the nationalist camp.

In the largest surprise of the night, the Pensioners' Party won seven seats. The right-wing National Union-National Religious Party secured nine seats, with United Torah Judaism at six and Meretz at four. The Arab parties won a total of ten seats.


LOWEST VOTER TURNOUT IN HISTORY

The total voter turnout was 63.2 percent, by far the lowest percentage in Israel's history. The previous low was notched in 2003, when 68 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots.

While the results pointed to a new government headed by Olmert, he would likely seek additional partners to broaden his coalition and shore up support for such policy moves as a further withdrawal in the West Bank.