EJP

Israel Election : Turnout as of 6 p.m. highest since 1999

Some 3,919,367 Israelis, or 57.7% of eligible voters, had cast ballots in elections for the 25th Knesset.

By JN)

As of 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 3,919,367 Israelis, or 57.7% of eligible voters, had cast ballots in elections for the 25th Knesset, according to the Israeli Central Elections Committee (CEC), the highest turnout at that hour on Election Day since 1999.

A total of 6,788,804 citizens are eligible to vote at more than 12,000 stations set up across the country.

As of 4 p.m., 47.5% of eligible Israelis had cast ballots; as of 2 p.m., the figure stood 38.9%; as of 12 p.m., at 28.4%; and as of 10 a.m., at 15.9%.

The high turnout reflects the electorate’s trust in the Jewish state’s democratic system, said Israeli President Isaac Herzog during a visit to the CEC at the Knesset.

“It’s very impressive to see this diverse, sophisticated, supervised and responsible operation, and I am convinced that the CEC will do its work faithfully and of course will thus reflect the public’s confidence in the electoral process,” Herzog added.

“Go vote and make a difference, because each vote has an impact,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid cast his ballot on Tuesday morning at a polling station set up at the Ramat Aviv Gimmel School in north Tel Aviv. “Vote wisely; vote for the State of Israel, the future of our children and our future in general,” he said.

Opposition leader and former premier Benjamin Netanyahu cast a ballot in Jerusalem, calling exercising the democratic right “a great privilege.” He said early voting trends showed higher turnout in “left-wing areas” and urged supporters of his Likud Party to head to the polls.

“I’m a little bit worried, but with the help of everyone who hears us, I hope the day will end in a smile,” Netanyahu added.

Three final polls published ahead of the election all showed Netanyahu’s right-wing/religious bloc standing one seat shy of a parliamentary majority in the 120-member Knesset.

Tuesday marks Israel’s fifth national vote in less than four years.

Voting closes at 10 p.m., at which point preliminary exit polls will be released.

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