Israeli election officials rejected a last-ditch effort by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its conservative allies to extend voting hours Tuesday, as record turnout fueled concerns within the ruling coalition about its prospects in the country’s first national election since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks.
Likud petitioned the Central Election Committee to keep polling stations open beyond their scheduled 10 p.m. closing time. The ultra-Orthodox Shas party joined the request, citing unusually long lines and warning that voters could be prevented from casting ballots before polls closed.
The decision leaves the scheduled voting hours in place. Election officials had already assured voters that anyone waiting in line by 10 p.m. would be permitted to cast a ballot, even if the process continued past the deadline.
The dispute comes as Israelis turn out in unusually large numbers for a contest widely viewed as a referendum on Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister for nearly two decades. The election will determine whether he retains power after mounting criticism of his government’s handling of the Oct. 7 attacks and the wars that followed.
By 6 p.m. local time, 66.7% of eligible voters had cast ballots, according to the Central Election Committee. The figure was the highest recorded at that hour since at least 1973 and roughly 9 percentage points higher than turnout at the same point in the 2022 election.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri voiced concern about the participation levels, saying turnout in left-leaning and Arab communities was particularly worrying for his party and its allies.
“I am very concerned about the apathy in the Haredi and right-wing strongholds,” Deri said, referring to ultra-Orthodox and conservative communities. He added that the high turnout in left-leaning areas and the Arab sector was “deeply worrying.”
Netanyahu has also urged right-wing supporters to vote, warning that low participation among his political base could allow his opponents to form a government.
The opposition, meanwhile, has criticized the effort to extend voting hours. Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party argued that no extraordinary circumstances justified changing the rules and accused the coalition of laying the groundwork for challenges to the election’s integrity.
Israel’s parliamentary system makes the outcome dependent on the distribution of seats among competing parties. Voters choose party lists rather than individual candidates, and a party must win at least 3.25% of the vote to enter the 120-seat Knesset. A governing coalition needs at least 61 seats to secure a parliamentary majority.
FOUR THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE ISRAELI ELECTION
Polls have suggested Netanyahu’s coalition could lose its majority, although opposition parties also face challenges in assembling a bloc large enough to govern. The results could therefore lead to prolonged negotiations among parties seeking to form the next government.
Weather has added another complication to voting in parts of the country: residents of the Arava region in southern Israel reported difficulty reaching polling stations after heavy rain and flooding forced some road closures. Some smaller communities have scheduled polling hours ending at 8 p.m., raising concerns that roads might not reopen in time for residents to vote.