The Central Elections Committee announced Friday that voting for the 26th Knesset at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world has concluded, with a significant increase in turnout compared to the previous election.
According to official figures, 4,218 of the 4,863 eligible voters at Israeli diplomatic missions abroad cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 86.7%.
This marks an increase of 17.1 percentage points compared to the elections for the 25th Knesset, when turnout at diplomatic missions stood at 69.6%.
Voting took place at 101 polling stations across 99 Israeli diplomatic missions worldwide.
Due to time zone differences, the first polling station opened at the Israeli Embassy in Wellington, New Zealand's capital, while the final ballots were cast at polling stations on the West Coast of the United States.
With voting now complete, the ballot envelopes will be transferred to Israel in accordance with procedures established by the Central Elections Committee, ahead of the vote count for the 26th Knesset elections.
The figures reflect exceptionally high participation among eligible voters at diplomatic missions, with fewer than 650 people failing to exercise their right to vote.
However, the turnout figures apply only to those eligible to vote at Israeli diplomatic missions and do not represent all Israeli citizens residing or staying abroad.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)