Netanyahu alleges election theft as Israeli turnout soars

Israelis voted in large numbers on Tuesday, Oct. 27, in the first national election since the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. The vote is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Almost 45% of eligible voters had cast ballots by 2 p.m., the Central Elections Committee said. According to AP, that is the highest turnout by that hour in more than 50 years and six percentage points above the same point in 2022.apnews.com

Polls published Friday show Netanyahu almost level with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot. Neither bloc is projected to reach the 61 seats needed for a majority, the BBC reported, so coalition talks could take weeks or months.bbc.com

Fraud claims and long lines

After voting in Jerusalem, Netanyahu raised concerns about high turnout among Israel's Arab minority and warned of attempts to "steal the election," AFP reported via France 24. He said Arab voters were "racing to the ballots" and accused operatives of the Arab party Raam of "trying to steal the election from us," The Times of Israel reported. "We cannot leave this battle here in the hands of the left and the Arab parties," he said as he urged right-wing voters to back Likud.france24.com+1

The committee said it had seen no sign of widespread irregularities. Police did arrest three people suspected of trying to bribe voters to support Raam, The New York Times reported. Dean Livne, the committee's acting director-general, blamed long lines at some polling stations on unprecedented turnout, according to AP. Eisenkot asked voters waiting in line to be patient and said, "The change is on its way," The Economic Times reported.nytimes.com+2

A complex path to power

Eisenkot leads the new Yashar party and is the main figure in a "change bloc" that also includes former prime minister Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan. Netanyahu would need another alliance with far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties to return to power, the BBC reported. The campaign focused on the security failures of Oct. 7, the opposition's demand for an independent inquiry, ultra-Orthodox exemptions from military service, and Netanyahu's judicial overhaul, AP noted.bbc.com+1

About 7.3 million people are eligible to vote. Arab-majority lists represent communities that make up about 21% of the population, and they could become kingmakers in a close result, AFP reported.france24.com

Israeli broadcasters will release exit polls when voting ends at 10 p.m. local time. Many soldiers' ballots will not be counted until Wednesday, which could give right-wing parties a late boost, the BBC reported. If no government can be formed, new elections would follow, and Netanyahu would stay on as interim prime minister.bbc.com