Israel’s Central Elections Committee has denied a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to extend voting hours during a tightly contested parliamentary election marked by record voter turnout.
Likud had sought the extension to allow more time to mobilize supporters as polls registered exceptionally high participation across the country. Over 7.3 million citizens were eligible to cast ballots for the 120-seat Knesset in the tight race, which features Netanyahu facing off against a loose opposition coalition led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot.
Despite the high participation and Likud's push for additional time, the Central Elections Committee rejected the extension bid, keeping the scheduled 10 p.m. local time closing time for polls.
