The Likud party led by Benjamin Netanyahu and its two allied parties in the ruling coalition in Israel demanded, in submitting requests to the central election committee in this country, to extend the voting hours in the parliamentary elections.
The Shas religious party led by Aryeh Deri stated that the purpose of the request is to give an opportunity to vote to citizens who may still be standing in line when the polls close, in reference to the large turnout.
The Utzma Jewish party led by Itamar Bangvir also called for extending the election hours and pointed to the overcrowding and long waiting time at the polling stations. The Likud party did not announce a reason for its request.
On the other hand, Ishar's party led by Gadi Eisenkot, one of Netanyahu's opponents in the elections, strongly opposed the extension of voting hours.
The Central Election Commission in Israel will hold a meeting to discuss the request to extend the voting hours, as reported on the Atah website. According to the current regulations, voting in most constituencies in Israel ends at 22:00 local time.