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New: Heavy Turnout in Israeli Elections 8PM Isr. Time 59.7%

by tikun | February 10, 2009 at 05:51 am

330 views | 81 Recommendations | 8 comments

The Central Election Committee says that 59.7% of those eligible to vote for the 18th Knesset exercised their right to do so by 8 pm Tuesday.

In the 2006 elections, 57.1% of those eligible to vote did so by 8 pm. (Aviad Glickman)

The Central Elections committee announced that 50.3% of Israeli citizens eligible to vote in Tuesday's general elections have exercised their right to do so by 6 pm, marking an increase in voter turnout from the 2006 elections (47.2%).

Early voter turnout in Israel's general election Tuesday was heavier than expected, standing at 34 percent of the electorate by 2 P.M.

In contrast, only 31 percent of voters had cast ballots by the same point during the last election in 2006. If the voter turnout remains constant throughout the day, the final rate could reach 69 percent, as opposed to 63.5 percent in the 2006 vote.

This is the day voters in Israel decide what kind of government they want to represent them going into talks with the Palestinians. Updates throughout the day.

For the third time in nine years, and exactly 1,050 days after the previous elections, Israelis are once again go to the polling stations on Tuesday.

Voting commenced at 7 am across the country, allowing the 5,278,985 eligible voters to cast their ballots and determine the makeup of the 18th Knesset.

At the end of a tense elections campaign, conducted mostly under the shadow of the war in Gaza, all parties were gearing up for the final battle over each and every voter.

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Rob Walker

at 06:46 on February 10th, 2009

Thanks for bringing us up to speed Tikun!

Barry ORegan

at 07:31 on February 10th, 2009

That has to be the strangest Ballot Box I have ever seen? No wonder the media are filming him~!

tikun

at 10:14 on February 10th, 2009

Yup. It has the symbols of each party and the name of each of the 30+ parties in Hebrew, Arabic, English and I think in Russian.

Rachel Nixon

at 10:49 on February 10th, 2009

tikun - many thanks for the updates - I'm giving this story more time on the homepage as you've brought it current.

tikun

at 11:36 on February 10th, 2009

Thanks. I will be putting up on NP up to the minute, almost live reports as they happen.

Fripouille

at 02:49 on February 11th, 2009

I just read that the results are extremely close. That's too bad. I hope, if that's the case, that this doesn't mean stalling the peace process.......

tikun

at 03:59 on February 11th, 2009

It appears that there will be a possible Center-Right coalition. However, the time has come for a revaluation of the political system. We are too Democratic and allow small parties to win seats with a 2% threshold. It is commendable that we are very open in the election process but unfortunately this creates a need for a coalition that often times relies on small factions for a government resulting in a weak coalition making it near impossible to be bold and creative. There are now serious cries for change and I hope it will come soon. We need to have direct elections in some form so that the majority of populations voices are clearly heard and implemented.

Fripouille

at 04:18 on February 11th, 2009

Ha! That good old hot potato, proportional representation.

Paradoxal system. The upside is that every party can be 'fairly and equally' represented in parliament. The down side is that in hung parliaments, a tiny minority of members of parliament (and their voters) can impose their demands on the whole country...which isn't fair, or equal, or even democratic.