Israel election turnout reaches 44.9% after seven hours, highest since 1973

Voter turnout in Israel’s legislative elections reached 44.9% by 2 p.m. local time on Tuesday, the highest recorded by that hour since 1973, according to the Central Elections Committee. Anadolu Agency reported the figures.

More than 3.29 million voters had cast ballots nationwide, the committee’s acting director general, Din Livneh, said in remarks carried by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

“We have broken all records registered by the Elections Committee since 1973,” Livneh said. “There has been no such data.”

Earlier, the committee said 2.39 million Israelis had voted by noon, more than three percentage points above the figure at the same stage of the previous election.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attributed the high turnout to exceptionally strong participation among Arab voters and in left-wing strongholds.

More than 7.3 million Israelis are eligible to vote in Tuesday’s election to choose members of the 120-seat Knesset.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time and are scheduled to close at 10 p.m.

The election is Israel’s first general vote since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, which Anadolu Agency described as genocidal.