Follow-Up: Israel Election Turnout Fastest in 49 Years as 31.5% Vote in First Five Hours; Shekel Jumps Nearly 1% to a Three-Week High
Israel voted in its parliamentary election on October 27, and the Central Elections Committee reported that 31.5% of eligible voters had cast their ballots within the first five hours, the fastest turnout since the country's 1977 election. The shekel jumped nearly 1% on Tuesday to a three-week high of 3.05 per dollar. The 1977 vote became known as "the upheaval" after it brought the right to power for the first time in Israeli history.
The currency had dropped to 3.12 shekels per dollar on Monday. Short-term shekel volatility gauges, which traders are using to bet on or hedge the election fallout, spiked to their highest level since Israel bombed some of Iran's nuclear facilities in mid-2024. JPMorgan has predicted the shekel could swing as much as 3% in either direction depending on Tuesday's election result. Analysts believe the high turnout could point to a strong showing for parties opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud bloc.
Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving leader, with 19 years in office, but his right-wing coalition's policies have been divisive at home and have deepened international isolation. His main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, a former military chief of staff and security hawk, aims to unseat him with the support of parties on the right and centre, as well as the rump of an increasingly marginalised left. Opinion polls show a close race, with neither leader facing an easy path to power.
Polling stations close at 10 p.m. local time, when Israeli television channels will air exit polls giving the first indications of the outcome. The final tally is expected by October 30, and official results are to be formally published on November 4.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于 Jerusalem 的以色列议会（Knesset）大楼（Wikimedia Commons，CC0）。Image: The Knesset building in Jerusalem (Wikimedia Commons, CC0).
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