Likud has lost public support following the collapse of negotiations to replace the "Tal Law," but Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu need not worry, since, according to two published Friday, he will remain in his office after the next election.
A poll in Ma'ariv showed Likud keeping its current 27 seats in the Knesset, while Yediot Aharonot had the prime minister's party drop to 25, after its previous poll, in May, gave the Likud 30 seats.
Kadima would drop to seven seats, one-fourth of its current size, if elections were held today, according to both polls.
Labor leader Shelly Yechimovich emerged as Netanyahu's most formidable challenger in both polls, though Yediot proves her to be a bigger threat to the prime minister, with 21 Knesset seats, than Ma'ariv, which gave Labor 17. The party currently has seven MKs, but was voted in with 13 in 2009.
The polls showed varying results for other parties. Both had Yisrael Beiteinu remaining the third-largest party, followed by Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid and Shas. However, Yediot gave them 13, 13 and 10 seats, respectively, while Ma'ariv had Yisrael Beiteinu grow to 16 seats from its current 15, Lapid with 11 seats, and Shas gaining two seats to reach 11.
National-Religious parties Habayit Hayehudi and National Union, which currently have a combined seven seats and plan to run together in the next election, would grow to 10 seats, according to Yediot, but Ma'ariv showed drastically different results, with the parties shrinking to six spots in the Knesset.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak's Independence party would not reach the election threshold of three seats, according to both polls.