IQN (NewsDesk): Israelis voted in record numbers on Tuesday in the country’s first general election since the Hamas led attacks of October 7, 2023, in a contest widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Central Elections Committee reported that turnout reached 74.3 percent two hours before polls closed at 10 pm, the highest for that stage since 1988. By 8 pm, 5.45 million votes had been cast, about 655,000 more than in the entire 2022 election, when turnout was 70.6 percent. Turnout was also reported to be significantly high in Arab communities, which analysts say could help decide the next government. Election officials refused a request from Netanyahu to extend voting hours.
Long lines formed outside polling stations as voters weighed the trauma of October 7 and the wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. The final round of pre-election polls showed Netanyahu’s coalition falling short of a clear victory, with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot’s presumed coalition ahead by between two and six seats in three main broadcasters’ polls. About 7.3 million citizens were eligible to vote for the 120 seat Knesset.
