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Israelis are flocking to the ballot box in historic, unprecedented numbers, pushing national voter turnout to a staggering 66.7% by 6 PM (local time), according to official figures released by the Central Elections Committee.
The extraordinary surge represents a massive nine-percentage-point leap compared to the 57.7% recorded at the same hour during the 2022 general election, marking the highest voter participation ever recorded at 6 PM in the nations history, Times of Israel reported. With the last few hours remaining before the scheduled 10 PM closing time, citizens across every corner of the country continue to flood polling sites, creating sprawling queues that have election authorities working at maximum capacity. Similar vote-shattering records were set at every hourly checkpoint since tracking began in 1973. According to the Central Elections Committee, midday turnout reached 31.5% by 12 PMthe highest since the post-Yom Kippur War election. Participation surged further to 44.9% by 2 PM, surpassing the previous 1988 record by 2.7 percentage points and significantly topping the 38.9% recorded in 2022. By 4 PM, turnout hit a historic 55.7%, reflecting an 8.2 percentage-point leap over 2022 levels as millions of citizens continued to form long queues at polling stations ahead of the 10 PM close. As night falls, political leaders on all sides are issuing frantic late-day appeals to mobilise remaining voters, knowing that in an election defined by record-breaking turnout, every single vote could decide the balance of power. Issuing an urgent late-day appeal to right-wing voters, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Likud supporters to immediately leave their homes and head to the polls, warning that surging turnout among Arab parties and political rivals threatens to bring a "leftist government" to power. In a video address released as election day turnout reached historic levels across the country, Netanyahu framed the vote as a high-stakes turning point, calling on his base to rally voters and reject competing right-leaning options. Pointing directly to high participation rates recorded in Arab-majority districts, Netanyahu underscored the momentum of his opposition. "Do you see this? This is record turnout at the polling stations of the Arab partiesthere has never been anything like this! The Left is at an all-time peak," Netanyahu said. Characterising the push as a vital mobilisation effort, Netanyahu directly called on Likud voters (Likudniks) to actively bring family and neighbours to the voting booths: "We can win. Did you go out, Likudniks? Not enough. So whoever is at home: leave the house, come vote, and get people out to vote! Call the aunt, the grandmother, the neighbour, everyone! Only this way do we win, and it is possible to win, but you must go out!" he said. Addressing voters considering right-wing alternatives, the Prime Minister explicitly cautioned against splitting the conservative vote by supporting rival parties, including those led by Ofer Winter, Yaron Zelekha, or Avigdor Liberman. "And of course, do not vote for 'fake Right'not for Winter and not for Zelekha... Oh, and I'll tell you another thing: not for Liberman. That is the fake Right of the fake Right," he added. Reiterating his core rally call, Netanyahu urged voters to cast their ballots for Likud using its ballot letters (Mahal), while raising the prospect of an opposition-led coalition involving Arab parties. "Vote Mahal. I want you to leave your homes, vote Mahal, and get people out of their homes to vote Mahal. Because otherwise, tomorrow morning we will wake up with a leftist government, the Muslim Brotherhood... That is the ruin of the country! You don't want that to happen, I know that. So get yourselves off the couch, turn off the TV, go vote Mahal, and bring others out to vote Mahal," the PM said. Closing his message with a stark warning regarding the outcome of the race, Netanyahu added,"And if you do that, with God's help we will win. And if notit will be a tragedy for generations. I don't want a tragedy for generations, and neither do you. I call upon you, my brothers and sisters, Likud voters: Go out and vote Mahal!" On the other hand, Netanyahu's principal challenger and Yashar Party chairman Gadi Eisenkot accused the incumbent of resorting to tricks, lies, and intimidation to mobilise voters, urging Israelis to turn out in large numbers and support political change as voting continued in the closely contested Knesset elections. In a post on X, Eisenkot alleged that Netanyahu's campaign tactics threatened the prospects of a change in government and called on voters to persuade their friends and family members to cast their ballots. In recent hours, Netanyahu has returned to the familiar tricks, lies, and intimidation to mobilise the masses. The same lies from previous election campaigns. This puts the change at risk, Eisenkot said. Urging supporters to remain active until polling closed at 10 pm local time, Eisenkot called for greater voter mobilisation in support of his party. We all need to be concerned until 22:00, but much more than that go out and convince friends, family members, to vote. Only straight! Bigger than Likud and the 'Way' slip will bring change, he added, referring to his party's campaign to replace Netanyahu. Today's vote, the first since the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, comes amid profound divisions on issues including accountability for the failures that allowed the attack and independence of Israels democratic institutions and judiciary. Netanyahu, who has been at the centre of power for 19 years, has managed to keep his coalition in power for a full 4-year term, a rarity in Israel's politics. Now, he faces a formidable challenge in the form of former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and his Yashar party, which lead in the various opinion surveys ahead of the vote. (ANI)
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