Netanyahu's Likud seeks extension of voting hours in Israeli election

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party requested an extension of voting hours beyond the scheduled 10 pm (2000GMT) closing time Tuesday, as turnout in the country's parliamentary elections reached a record high for the time of day, Israeli media reported.

Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg will decide on the request, according to Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

The committee clarified that anyone arriving at a polling station by 10 pm would be allowed to vote, even if they cast their ballot after that time.

Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party said it "strongly opposes" Likud's request, arguing that no exceptional circumstances justified extending voting hours.

The party accused Likud of attempting to lay the groundwork for challenges to the election's integrity, describing the move as a continuation of "the lies Netanyahu has been spreading since the morning hours."

Meanwhile, the far-right Otzma Yehudit party requested to join Likud's petition, citing "congestion and unusual wait times at polling stations."

Voter turnout reached 55.7% by 4 pm Tuesday, the highest recorded for that hour since recordkeeping began in 1973, according to the Central Elections Committee.

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

Polling stations opened at 7 am local time.

The vote marks Israel's first general election since the start of its genocidal war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023.