Israel's Foreign Ministry Says Election Turnout of 77.7% Was the Highest Since 1999 as Foreign Minister Saar Calls Likud the Largest Party

MIDDLE EAST

Israel's Foreign Ministry announced on its official X account on Oct. 28 (local time) that Israel had recorded its highest voter turnout since 1999 the previous day, with 77.7% voting. The general election for members of the 26th Knesset (parliament) was held on Oct. 27, and the 77.7% figure is the Central Elections Committee's tally as of 10 p.m., when polls closed. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said shortly after voting ended that Likud is the largest party in Israel. Counting continues, and Likud, alleging election crimes at some Arab polling stations, asked police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) to investigate.

Foreign Ministry Reports 77.7% Turnout as the Highest Since 1999

At 2:14 p.m. on Oct. 28 (local time), the Foreign Ministry posted on its English account that the strength of Israeli democracy lies in its people. The ministry went on to write that Israel had recorded its highest turnout since 1999 the previous day, with 77.7% voting.

The ministry also posted a chart comparing recent election turnout in other democracies. According to the ministry's chart, turnout was 69.0% in Canada's 2025 election, 67.5% in the 2024 U.S. presidential election and 66.7% in France's 2024 legislative election. It was 66.1% in India's 2024 election, 61.0% in Mexico and 60.0% in Britain, and 46.7% in Switzerland's 2023 election. The ministry cited as the source of Israel's figure the Central Elections Committee tally released at 10 p.m. on Oct. 27.

Central Elections Committee Posted Turnout Every Few Hours on Election Day to Encourage Voting

On election day, the Central Elections Committee posted a series of hourly turnout updates on its official X account. According to the committee, turnout was 16.68% at 10 a.m., 31.5% at noon and 44.9% at 2 p.m. It rose to 55.7% at 4 p.m., 66.7% at 6 p.m. and 74.3% at 8 p.m., reaching 77.7% at 10 p.m., when voting ended.

The committee attached short messages of encouragement to each update. Posting the noon figure at 1:37 p.m., the committee told Israeli citizens to keep going because they were making history. At 3:03 p.m., it told Israeli citizens to keep going because they were breaking every record. It then posted again urging people to keep voting because they were breaking records, and at 7:03 p.m. it told Israeli citizens that turnout was approaching the all-time record and urged them to keep voting. At 7:26 p.m., it urged participation, noting that polling stations nationwide would close at 10 p.m.

The committee announced at 10:10 p.m. that polling stations had closed and at 11:16 p.m. posted the 10 p.m. turnout figure. At 11:34 p.m., it announced that counting had begun.

On election day, the committee stressed that there are things it never compromises on and that the integrity of the election is one of them. The committee also said that day that it had partnered with the Survey of Israel mapping center for the first time in a Knesset election. Even after regular ballot boxes are counted, double-envelope ballots remain to be counted. At 6:31 p.m. on Oct. 28, the committee said seafarers' votes had already been completed and counting of special votes would begin soon. That evening, the committee thanked its counting staff, saying they had managed, supervised and counted every vote and that now, after difficult but successful work, it was time to thank them, and it posted a one-minute video of staff training.

Foreign Ministry Released Figures in Advance: 7.3 Million Voters and 12,018 Polling Stations

On Oct. 26, a day before the election, the Foreign Ministry posted a notice titled "Israel's election by numbers." The ministry described preparations for this election as the largest election operation in Israel's history. According to the ministry's notice, there were 7.3 million eligible voters, 450 million ballots and 100,000 election committee staff. There were 12,018 polling stations, 18,000 ballot boxes and 20 regional election committees, and the election budget was 690 million shekels. On election day, 660 intercity public transportation lines, including all Israel Railways lines, ran free of charge. On the afternoon of election day, the committee posted a video of the staff member in charge of ballots, inviting viewers to meet the person who counted 450 million ballots.

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), under Israel's Defense Ministry, also adjusted to the election schedule. COGAT announced on Oct. 26 that the Kerem Shalom crossing would close for the day on Tuesday, Oct. 27, because of the general election. COGAT said that even on the day the crossing was closed, collection of goods on the Gaza side of the Kerem Shalom crossing would continue. COGAT added that on other days the crossing would operate at its usual volumes.

President Herzog Speaks of "One Shared Destiny" and Announces Consultations on Forming a Government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the election committee headquarters inside the Knesset building on the morning of election day. The committee announced at 10:01 a.m. on Oct. 27 that the president had arrived at the Knesset control center. Herzog posted about the visit on his X account at 1:29 p.m. and thanked Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the committee, and others. Herzog wrote that he had seen up close the professional, technical and legal work to conduct the election at thousands of polling stations nationwide. He said that even when people put different ballots in the box and voice different opinions, they share one common destiny.

On the evening of Oct. 26, the day before the election, Herzog also called on every Israeli citizen, on the eve of the 2026 election, to exercise the democratic right that would shape the country's future and go out to vote the next day. On the afternoon of election day, he called to congratulate a bride and groom who stopped at a polling station on the way to their wedding. He said the couple had paused in the middle of the most important day of their lives to exercise their democratic right and vote, and again urged all citizens to vote.

At 3:40 p.m. on Oct. 28, the day after the election, Herzog wrote that the previous day's remarkable turnout was a certificate of honor for Israeli society and showed how strong the will for democracy is in Israel. He said he would invite the heads of each party next week for consultations on entrusting the mandate to form the next government, and asked everyone who comes, once results are announced, for one important thing: to come with an open heart.

Foreign Minister Saar Calls Likud the Largest Party and Briefs Germany's Foreign Minister on the Results

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on his Hebrew X account at 10:23 p.m. on Oct. 27, about 20 minutes after voting ended. Saar wrote that the left's celebrations were premature and the conclusions of biased commentators absurd. He went on to say that one thing seemed quite clear: Likud is the largest party in Israel.

At 5:23 p.m. on Oct. 28, Saar posted on his English account about a phone call with Germany's foreign minister. Saar wrote that it is always good to talk with his friend, the German foreign minister, and that he had briefed his counterpart on Israel's election, the impressive turnout and the emerging results. He said the election had shown particularly impressively the strength and vitality of Israeli democracy, the only democracy in the Middle East. The two ministers also discussed the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.

At 7 p.m. the same day, the Foreign Ministry compared Israeli democracy with the Palestinian Authority (PA). The ministry said Arab citizens of Israel have voted in 10 general elections since 2006, while the Palestinian Authority has blocked Palestinians' right to vote for 20 years, and that there was nonetheless no outrage and no headlines, only silence.

Prime Minister Netanyahu Urged Last-Minute Voting, Then Targeted Joint List Lawmaker Saadi

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a series of get-out-the-vote messages on his X account on election day. Likud's ballot letters are 「מחל」 (Mahal). At 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 27, Netanyahu wrote that buses were heading to polling stations and long lines were being reported in Arab towns, but that right-wing strongholds were not waking up. He said that if people did not go out to vote now, they would get a government of Arab parties, adding that people must not stay home, that every vote decides, and urging them to go vote now for Mahal, Likud.

At 3:39 p.m., Netanyahu thanked everyone who had voted Mahal that day and asked for one thing to save Israel: to write right away on WhatsApp to all family and friends telling them to go vote Mahal. He stressed that it was an emergency. At 9:10 p.m., ahead of the close of voting, he posted that there was one hour to save the country and urged people to rush to vote Mahal.

At 11:52 a.m. on Oct. 28, Netanyahu posted a thank-you video with a message thanking supporters. At 2:05 p.m. the same day, he targeted Osama Saadi, a lawmaker of the Joint List, an alliance of Arab parties. Netanyahu said Saadi of the Joint List, a partner of the left-wing bloc, had dedicated the election results to Palestinians in Gaza, Judea and Samaria and "occupied Jerusalem," that he praises Palestinians and terrorists in prison, that the bloc seeks to form a dangerous government with them, and that he would not let that happen.

Likud Alleges Election Crimes at Arab Polling Stations and Demands Investigations

Likud issued a statement through Netanyahu's account at 6:22 p.m. on Oct. 28. Likud alleged that Israel's election was being stolen by Arab parties that support terror and the destruction of the Jewish state through serious crimes such as bribery, intimidation, violence, forgery and prohibited get-out-the-vote programs. Likud said it was handing hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence about election theft at Arab polling stations to police, the Shin Bet and the election committee.

The cases Likud cited included thousands of envelopes containing cash and Ra'am party ballots, threats and violence against polling station committee members, multiple people voting behind the screen, voting with double identities, and discrepancies between the number of envelopes and the number of voters. Likud demanded a thorough investigation by police and the Shin Bet and an immediate response from the election committee. Likud called this a serious violation of Israeli democracy and citizens' right to vote and argued that enforcement agencies must respond immediately and forcefully. Defense Minister Israel Katz also took issue with remarks made during the election period at 4:23 p.m. the same day. Katz called a speech the previous day by former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot an embarrassing speech, saying it followed the political tradition of singing, declaring and crowning in advance. Katz criticized as undemocratic and detached from reality Eisenkot's remark the previous day telling senior IDF commanders that he had their backs and that they should not follow the instructions of the prime minister, the defense minister and the official security cabinet.

The Knesset Awaits Confirmation of Seats for the 26th Knesset

At 8:07 a.m. on Oct. 28, the Knesset posted that it was awaiting results, asking whom the Israeli people had seated amid polls, exit polls and surprises. At 12:35 p.m. the same day, the Knesset posted that it was 99% curious and 1% patient, with the 26th Knesset loading, and linked to a counting guide, asking whether people were waiting for the actual results everyone had chosen.

Double-envelope voting is a method in which soldiers, diplomats, seafarers, hospitalized patients, prisoners and others who cannot vote at their own polling stations submit ballots in two envelopes. Because these votes are collected separately from regular ballot boxes and counted after identity checks, seats can shift even after regular ballot boxes are counted. The Knesset has 120 seats in total.

In chronological order, the official announcements around the election are as follows. On Oct. 26, COGAT announced the Kerem Shalom crossing would close on election day, the Foreign Ministry posted "Israel's election by numbers," and President Herzog urged people to vote. On the morning of voting day, Oct. 27, Herzog visited the election committee headquarters, and the committee posted turnout every few hours. The committee closed polling stations at 10 p.m. and began counting at 11:34 p.m. Foreign Minister Saar named Likud the largest party at 10:23 p.m. On Oct. 28, Prime Minister Netanyahu posted a thank-you video, the Foreign Ministry reported 77.7% turnout, and President Herzog announced consultations on forming a government. Likud demanded investigations into election crimes that evening, and the committee announced it would begin counting special votes.

Once the committee releases a final tally including double-envelope and special votes, the 26th Knesset's seats by party will be determined. Herzog said he would hold consultations next week with party leaders on entrusting the mandate to form a government.

Sources (KST)

• Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "77.7% turnout, highest since 1999, with chart comparing countries' turnout" (X @IsraelMFA), 2026-10-28 21:14 KST, https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2115416926939918610
• Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Israel's election by numbers" (X @IsraelMFA), 2026-10-27 01:00 KST, https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2114748894592848132
• Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, "Arab citizens' voting compared with the PA" (X @IsraelMFA), 2026-10-29 02:00 KST, https://x.com/IsraelMFA/status/2115488770602717317
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Afternoon turnout update, "breaking every record"" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-27 22:03 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115066902817251510
• Israel Central Elections Committee, ""Breaking records"" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 01:15 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115115227889205419
• Israel Central Elections Committee, ""Approaching the all-time record"" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 02:03 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115127178291548450
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Notice of poll closing time" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 02:26 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115132961133588914
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Polling stations closed" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 05:10 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115174388664312272
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Turnout as of 10 p.m." (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 06:16 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115190975811203403
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Counting begins" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 06:34 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115195389527621886
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Election integrity" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-27 20:39 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115045666535981242
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Partnership with the Survey of Israel" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 02:59 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115141296528781731
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "450 million ballots" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-28 00:39 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115106154170954185
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "President visits control center" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-27 17:01 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2114990964276158605
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Notice on counting special votes" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-29 01:31 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115481660456366160
• Israel Central Elections Committee, "Thanks to counting staff" (X @electionknesset), 2026-10-29 03:07 KST, https://x.com/electionknesset/status/2115505796591030433
• COGAT, "Kerem Shalom crossing closed on election day" (X @cogatonline), 2026-10-26 21:01 KST, https://x.com/cogatonline/status/2114688927755846099
• President of Israel, "Call to vote" (X @Isaac_Herzog), 2026-10-27 02:00 KST, https://x.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/2114764174488469607
• President of Israel, "Visit to election committee headquarters" (X @Isaac_Herzog), 2026-10-27 20:29 KST, https://x.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/2115043085067424204
• President of Israel, "Congratulating a bride and groom who voted" (X @Isaac_Herzog), 2026-10-28 01:15 KST, https://x.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/2115115276106604846
• President of Israel, "Assessment of turnout and announcement of party consultations" (X @Isaac_Herzog), 2026-10-28 22:40 KST, https://x.com/Isaac_Herzog/status/2115438649567322578
• Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, "Likud the largest party" (X @gidonsaar), 2026-10-28 05:23 KST, https://x.com/gidonsaar/status/2115177485780254919
• Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, "Call with German foreign minister" (X @gidonsaar), 2026-10-29 00:23 KST, https://x.com/gidonsaar/status/2115464471426605420
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ""Every vote decides"" (X @netanyahu), 2026-10-27 20:30 KST, https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2115043411883696353
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Thanking and encouraging voters" (X @netanyahu), 2026-10-27 22:39 KST, https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2115075813293047931
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ""One hour to save the country"" (X @netanyahu), 2026-10-28 04:10 KST, https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2115159202524000421
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Thank-you video" (X @netanyahu), 2026-10-28 18:52 KST, https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2115381235128369551
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "Criticism of Osama Saadi" (X @netanyahu), 2026-10-28 21:05 KST, https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2115414676750401773
• Likud, "Statement demanding investigation of election crimes" (posted on X @netanyahu), 2026-10-29 01:22 KST, https://x.com/netanyahu/status/2115479434169868618
• Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, "Criticism of Eisenkot's speech" (X @Israel_katz), 2026-10-28 23:23 KST, https://x.com/Israel_katz/status/2115449481848045682
• Knesset, "Awaiting results" (X @KnessetIL), 2026-10-28 15:07 KST, https://x.com/KnessetIL/status/2115324528997929267
• Knesset, "26th Knesset loading" (X @KnessetIL), 2026-10-28 19:35 KST, https://x.com/KnessetIL/status/2115391880166887702