Israel records highest midday election turnout since 1973
More than 2.3 million Israelis had cast ballots by noon, putting turnout at 31.5%. The figure was the highest recorded at that stage of voting in 53 years.
Israel’s parliamentary election drew 31.5% of eligible voters by midday, the strongest turnout at that point since 1973. More than 2.3 million people had already voted, according to election officials.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported the figures on Tuesday, October 27, citing Ynet and Israel’s Central Elections Committee. The military also registered elevated participation: 48% of eligible service members had voted by 1 p.m., up from 44.4% in the previous election.
Thirty-six parties are competing for the Knesset’s 120 seats. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, standing for Likud, and former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, are presented as the main contenders for the premiership.
The vote is Israel’s first parliamentary election since the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by numerous countries.