Record Turnout Prompts Likud to Seek One-Hour Vote Extension
Shas and Otzma Yehudit support the move, while Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party argues no unusual incident justifies the change.
By Abena Mensah ·
Voters in Israel cast ballots in the highest turnout seen since 1973 on Tuesday, a figure Shas Chairman Arye Deri cited while criticizing low participation in Haredi and right-wing areas.
The Likud party formally requested that the Central Elections Committee extend voting hours by one hour. The party offered no specific reason for the application. Shas and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit joined the call, pointing to congestion at polling stations across the country.
Deri expressed concern about voter apathy in his party's strongholds. He noted that lines were forming at stations in Negev Bedouin communities and Tel Aviv. In contrast, he described a sense of complacency among Haredi and right-wing voters despite high turnout in left-wing and Arab sectors.
Justice Noam Sohlberg, the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, holds the sole authority to approve the extension. Reports from earlier in the day suggested that weather conditions might also influence the decision.
The Yashar party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, opposed the request. The party stated that no unusual incident occurred to justify the change. They described the move as an attempt to create grounds for challenging the election's integrity, aligning with claims made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since that morning.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
