Voting stations across Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank opened their doors at 0500 GMT on Tuesday at the start of the country's legislative elections, AFP correspondents said. The elections are widely expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to office at the head of a sharply right-wing and religious government, whittling away at the chances of a comprehensive peace with the Palestinians. The next government will face old foreign policy challenges, such as the threat of Iran's nuclear programme, and new, including a region changed by the Arab uprisings. It will also have to battle stubborn domestic economic issues, moving quickly to pass a tough austerity budget in a bid to tame Israel's deficit, while managing public discontent over the cost of living and income inequality. Some 5.65 million Israelis are eligible to vote in the parliamentary election, with 10,132 polling stations open for 15 hours. Exit polls are traditionally broadcast immediately after voting ends. Polls leading up to the election have consistently projected that the joint list of Netanyahu's Likud faction and the secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu will come out far ahead of its rivals. The centre-left opposition Labour party is expected to come in a distant second, with the hardline religious nationalist Jewish Home projected to make an almost unprecedented showing and take third place.