Israel: record turnout in the elections, the highest since 1981, in a referendum on Netanyahu

Jerusalem — Turnout in the legislative elections held in Israel on Tuesday reached historic levels: by 10:00 in the morning, 16.7% of the electorate had already voted, about 1.2 million people, the highest percentage for that hour since 1981, according to data from the Central Elections Committee cited by the AFP news agency.

By noon, turnout had risen to 31.5%, its highest level at that hour since 1977, and 3.1 points above the 28.4% recorded in the 2022 elections, according to figures released by the electoral authorities. About 7.33 million citizens are eligible to vote at 12,018 polling stations, and polls will close at 10:00 p.m. Israel time.

These are the country’s first elections since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza, and they are seen as a referendum on the future of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His main rival is former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, and pre-election polls pointed to a tight race, with a slight lead for the opposition.

Netanyahu voted shortly after noon in Jerusalem alongside his wife, Sara, and called for massive turnout: “Go vote! No beach, no barbecue, everyone go vote for Likud,” he told reporters. He also accused the Islamist Raam party of “trying to steal the elections,” after three people were arrested in an alleged vote-buying case linked to that party, the only significant incident reported so far.

High turnout alone does not predict the winner: in Israel’s fragmented parliamentary system, no party has ever won an absolute majority. The Knesset has 120 seats and any coalition needs at least 61, so the result could open weeks of negotiations before the next prime minister is known.

Photo: Archivo A Lo Claro

Source: Cadena SER / AFP