Israel votes in historic election with record turnout

Around 44.9 percent of eligible voters had cast ballots by early afternoon on 27 Oct, marking the highest participation since 1973. Voting began at 7 am and will close at 10 pm local time, with final results expected on 4 Nov. About 7.3 million eligible Israelis are choosing 120 Knesset members, and roughly 70 000 citizens have traveled from abroad to vote. The election, the first since the Oct 7, 2023 attacks, will decide whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in office and which parties can form a governing coalition.