The exit polls gave the centrist Kadima party 29 to 32 seats in the 120-member legislature. Correspondents say the result was below expectations, but puts the party in good position to lead a coalition.
Exit polls indicate the center-left Labor party will win 20 to 22 seats and right-wing Likud will get 12. The polls indicated a strong showing for the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party of Russian immigrants.
The election was widely seen as a referendum on Israel's plans for the West Bank. Olmert pledged to set Israel's permanent borders by 2010 through the completion of a barrier wall in the West Bank and removing isolated Jewish settlements.
(compiled from agency reports)
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