Legislative elections in Israel: an unprecedented record and Netanyahu wants to extend voting hours.
Yesterday, Israel witnessed a heavy voter turnout in the first elections since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, amid deep disputes and intense competition that determines the future of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Voter turnout at 2:00 p.m. (12:00 GMT) reached 44.9 percent, the highest for that time since records began in 1973, according to the Central Election Commission. In light of this participation, the Likud party asked to extend the voting hours, while Netanyahu raised concerns about the "stealing of the elections", which the Ishar party led by former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot "vehemently rejected" and said that "no unusual event occurred that could justify the approval of this request, which aims to pave the way for the question of the integrity of the elections, lies that Netanyahu has been spreading since this morning." Voting ends at 10pm (20:00 GMT).