Likud Seeks Voting Extension Amid Record Turnout

By Staff, Agencies

“Israel’s” Likud Party has requested a one-hour extension of voting beyond the scheduled 10 p.m. deadline, Ynet reported, adding that Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg would decide whether to approve the request.

The Central Elections Committee said voters who arrive at polling stations by 10 p.m. will be permitted to cast their ballots, even if voting continues beyond the deadline.

Meanwhile, Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party rejected calls to extend voting hours. According to "Haaretz," party officials argued that “Netanyahu is laying the groundwork to claim that the integrity of the election has been compromised.”

Official turnout in “Israel” reached 31.5% by midday Tuesday, the highest rate recorded by that point in an election since 1977.

According to “Israeli” Channel 14, Arab towns recorded the highest turnout rates, surpassing settlements in the West Bank, Haredi communities, "Ramat Hasharon" and "Tel Aviv." Participation reached 64.1% in Al-Atawneh, 47.9% in Qasr al-Sir and 47.8% in al-Qubay’a.

The channel described the figures as evidence of a significant increase in Arab voter mobilization after turnout in the previous election fell below 45% overall and below 40% in some Arab towns.

The surge has drawn attention from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party, which is preparing to deploy teams outside polling stations in designated Arab areas, "Haaretz" reported, amid concerns over the election outcome.

Likud has reportedly spent millions of shekels recruiting personnel to monitor polling locations, record voters and send live updates to party headquarters. The teams were assembled in recent weeks and will operate outside polling stations, placing them beyond the stricter rules governing official election observers.

"Haaretz" also reported that senior Likud figures had discussed publicly alleging election fraud if the party suffered significant losses.

People close to Netanyahu said some party members had urged him to pursue this strategy and that he was considering it, although there was no indication that he personally attended the meetings where the proposal was discussed.

The approach has drawn comparisons with US President Donald Trump’s claims of fraud following his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

One senior Likud official involved in election logistics said the party’s complaints about alleged irregularities in the 2022 election had helped prepare for the current vote, describing that election as “a trial run for the current election.”

Party sources said footage recorded by the monitoring teams could be presented as evidence of alleged fraud, despite the crews having no legal authority to verify voters’ identities. Separately, Likud observers across the country are expected to report suspected irregularities to a dedicated election fraud-monitoring center.