BICOM

Voting has begun in Israel for the 21st elections to the Knesset.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said: “Elections are a celebration of democracy. This is the day we exercise our right to determine our fate, as citizens with equal rights and as partners in the political enterprise – the State of Israel.” He urged Israelis to vote, as “democracy is not a given.”

Polling stations opened at 07:00 Israel time (05:00 UK time) and will remain open until 22:00 Israel time, with the exception of hospitals, prisons and small communities with fewer than 350 residents, where the polls will close at 20:00 Israel time.

IDF soldiers began voting on Sunday night at bases around the country and Israeli diplomats working abroad voted on 29th March.

There are 10,720 polling stations set up across the country, including 190 in hospitals and 58 in prisons. Israelis cast their vote exclusively by paper ballot, due to concerns about the potential for cyber attacks on the electoral process. The votes of soldiers, hospital patients, prisoners, women in shelters, election officials and diplomats in foreign countries – known as “double envelopes” – are counted last.

There are 6,339,279 eligible voters. Turnout is expected to be high due to warm weather. In 2015 turnout was 72 per cent and in 2013 turnout was 68 per cent. To encourage voters election day is a national holiday and all public transportat operates free of charge.

Once the polling stations are closed, the votes are counted manually by members of the Elections Committee. The verified results are submitted to the chairman of each Regional Elections Committee, and are then forwarded to the Central Elections Committee.

The Central Election Committee count the votes throughout the night with results expected early Wednesday morning. However, the final results will only be announced on Thursday morning.

At 22:00 Israeli TV will publish an exit poll predicting the result of the election. In the last election in 2015, 50 per cent of the votes were counted by 01:00 and 99 per cent by 07:00. In 2015, the exit poll predicted a tie between the two main parties, Likud and the Zionist Union, but results published the next day showed that the Likud won 6 more seats than the Zionist Union opposition party.

There are 39 parties competing for seats but a party must win 3.25 per cent of the vote to enter the Knesset and win any seats. Only 14 parties are expected to win enough votes to guarantee a place in the 120 seat Knesset.

On the day after the elections the President set out his schedule for consultations with party leaders. Following the conclusion of the consultations with all of the parties, and after receipt of the official election results, the President will declare which party leader he will ask to form the new government and they will have 28 days with a possible extension of 14 days to form a coalition.