The National Religious Party reacted with stunned silence to Channel 2's exit poll that gave it six seats in the 15th Knesset.

It is very sad that the NRP lost seats, said Nissan Slomiansky, No. 7 on the party's list. If it remains like this, I won't be an MK, but we have to wait till the final count. It is very hard to make a quick count with a party like NRP, because in some places we are very concentrated and in others we have a weak showing.

Most of the party's MKs echoed Slomiansky's wait-and-see attitude, hoping that the final count would squeeze them one more seat. It had been widely predicted that the party would drop from the nine seats it currently holds, although six seats was considered beforehand as a respectable showing.

Zevulun Orlev, No. 5 on the list, refused to comment on the results, saying that it was very bad.

Haim Druckman, No. 2 on the list and a controversial addition to the slate, also said he would wait for the final count, adding that he thought his presence on the ticket had helped the campaign.

Regardless of the number of seats, the issue now is how the party will conduct negotiations with Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak.

Slomiansky said that if Barak forms a government with Meretz, Shinui and the Arab parties, and then asks us to join, and we see we won't have any influence, we wont join.

Transportation Minister Shaul Yahalom, No. 3 on the list, said the party would demand the Education Ministry as a condition for joining the coalition, but would also need to know Barak's position on the territories and the settlements.

Yahalom's bigger concern, he said, was that the country is going to the extremes, with a strong showing of Shas and Shinui. Now, more than ever, we have to build a bridge and combine religious and secular groups, parties and movements, or society may move to the extreme edges. That will be very dangerous.

Asked about Netanyahu's surprise resignation, Yahalom said: I cannot say I am happy about it, but he did what he had to do... It had to happen in order to strengthen the Likud.

The Right must have a big party, and the Likud has been the leader on the Right.

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