Authorities have stepped up security ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary elections in Israel, the fifth in about three and a half years, DPA reported, citing Agerpres.

About 18,000 security personnel will be deployed on Election Day, when an estimated 6.8 million voters are expected at the polls, a police spokesman said.

Former prime minister and current opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is hoping for a return after Tuesday’s vote. According to recent opinion polls, his Likud party could once again become the strongest party in Israel’s Knesset parliament.

However, it is not clear whether the pro-Netanyahu coalition will be able to form a majority. His bloc could win 60 of the 120 seats, again leading to a stalemate with the camp of current Prime Minister Yair Lapid.

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The electoral presence of the Arab population can be decisive. The Arab minority makes up about 20% of Israel’s 9.4 million citizens.

If one of the smaller parties in Lapid’s camp fails to clear the 3.25% barrier to enter the legislature, it could pave the way for a far-right government led by Netanyahu.

The far-right alliance of Betzalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir is seen as a possible key factor. According to polls, their formation, the Religious Zionist Party, could become the third strongest force in Israel.

Smotrich presented a radical program before the elections, the implementation of which will lead to the weakening of the judicial system in the Jewish state, said Professor Jonathan Reinhold, head of the Department of Political Studies at Bar Ilan University in Tel Aviv.

The expected changes could also lead to the annulment of the corruption case against Netanyahu.