Israel Election 2015: 26.5 percent voter turnout in Israel polls by midday, Israel Election live updates, Israel election Voting % live,Israel election total voter turnout

Israel Election 2015: 26.5 percent voter turnout in Israel polls by midday

Jerusalem, (IANS) An estimated 26.5 percent of Israel's voters cast their ballots at polling stations across Israel by midday on Tuesday in the Israeli general elections, according to the Israeli Central Elections Committee.

The voting rate falls just short of matching those recorded at the same time in the elections of 2013, according to data collected from 400 polling stations, Efe news agency reported.

The elections have proceeded without incident, however President of the Israeli Central Elections Committee, Judge Salim Jubran, has banned the ultra-orthodox Jewish radio station Kol from spreading electoral propaganda after a complaint filed by the Sephardic Shas party.

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Elsewhere, Israeli public radio reported that the opening of four polling stations in the town of Beit Shemesh, west of Jerusalem, was delayed when a suspicious object was found.

According to the committee, 7,300 soldiers have voted over the past two days, while participation in Israeli diplomatic missions abroad, where voting began a week ago, exceeded 71 percent.

There are 5.8 million Israelis eligible to vote in 10,119 polling stations spread nationwide for the premature legislative elections to choose members of the 20th Israeli Knesset. Polling stations opened Tuesday at 7 a.m. and will close at 10 p.m.

The election is expected to be a close race between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party and its main rival, the centre-left Zionist Union.

After casting his vote with his wife Sarah at a polling station in Jerusalem, Netanyahu reiterated his stance not to sit in a national unity government headed by the Zionist Union, according to an earlier report on Tuesday by Xinhua news agency.

"The gaps between us are very deep," he said. "The only government I will establish would be with our natural partners", meaning the right wing parties.

None of the parties are expected to win by a drastic margin and therefore it is possible that the issue of a unity government between the Likud and the Zionist Union could come up in negotiations on forming a ruling coalition following the election.

Leader of the Zionist Union Yitzhak Herzog voted in a polling station near his house in Tel Aviv, reminding voters that they could make a change.

"We need to remember that Israel is a democratic country where the people decide," he said before casting his ballot, adding that the election was "between change and hope, and despair and disappointment".

More than 20 parties are vying for the 120 seats in the one-chamber Knesset , of which opinion polls predict some 11 will make it to the parliament.

The opposition centre-left Zionist Union is projected to be the largest party with around 25 seats, followed by the Likud with around 21 seats.

Despite the lead, it is believed that the Likud and its like-minded allies have a better chance to win a majority of seats in the parliament for the right to form the cabinet.

According to Israeli election law, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will nominate the leader of the party which has the best chance of establishing a stable coalition with the support of at least 61 of the 120 members of parliament.

At a polling station in the central coastal city of Tel Aviv, Roy Aharon, 42, told Xinhua that he voted for the opposition centre-left Zionist Union party led by Yitzhak Herzog.

"Last time I voted for Yair Lapid (leader of Yash Atid party), but I think it was a mistake. He made many promises he didn't keep and things were actually worse," Aharon said.

"I feel that if we don't replace him, we don't have any hope left. The Zionist Union has some excellent politicians, and I hope they will be strong enough to beat Netanyahu and the Likud."

Three major Israeli television stations will broadcast the results of their exit polls at 10 p.m. on Tuesday and official results are expected to be announced early Wednesday morning after most of the votes are counted.

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