2013 elections: Highest voter turnout since 1999
Polling stations across country struggle to keep up with flow of voters. Central Elections Committee says 63.7% of Israelis voted as of 8 pm
The 2013 election continues to break voter turnout records. Some 3.6 million Israelis have already exercised their right to vote and polling stations are struggling to keep up with the flow of voters.
The Central Elections Committee reported a high voter turnout compared to the same time at the past four election campaigns. The Central Elections Committee said that 63.7% of eligible voters have cast their ballots as of 8 pm, compared with 59.7% in the 2009 elections and 63.2% in 2006. Voting will continue until 10 pm.
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The Central Elections Committee, which ran a campaign to encourage voting, was satisfied with the data. It is hoped that the 2013 election will break Israel's voting record.
Polling stations across Israel opened on Tuesday at 7 am. A total of 5,656,705 eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots in 10,132 ballot boxes across Israel.
Line in Tel Aviv polling station (Photo: Yaron Brener)
Voting in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
A worker at a polling station in Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard remarked, "I worked during the previous elections as well and I can’t recall such a flow of voters, certainly not at this hour. We haven't had a single free moment since this morning."
President Shimon Peres voted at the Charles E. Smith High School for the Arts in Jerusalem. "Today the state is asking citizens to vote for a free, beautiful, democratic country," he said after casting his ballot.
He wished success to all the candidates and called on the public to exercise their right to vote.
One in every four Israelis voted by 12 pm (Photo: EPA)
Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino said that compared to previous elections, there were no unusual disturbances. "It really is a celebration of democracy," he said. Danino noted that police handled a few isolated incidents that did not disrupt voting.
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