Netanyahu and Smotrich Hold Emergency Meeting to Boost Right-Wing Voter Turnout
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich held an emergency meeting with local leaders to boost right-wing voter turnout in the final hours of the Knesset elections. They warned against voting for Avigdor Lieberman's party and urged support for parties likely to pass the electoral threshold, citing record-high overall turnout. The "Winning Right" headquarters is mobilizing thousands of volunteers to encourage voters.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Netanyahu and Smotrich held an emergency meeting to increase right-wing voter turnout in the final hours of elections.
- They warned against voting for Avigdor Lieberman's party, calling it "fake right-wing."
- Smotrich urged voters not to support parties unlikely to pass the 3.25% electoral threshold.
- Record voter turnout of 55.7% by 4 PM was the highest since 1973.
- Thousands of volunteers are mobilized by the "Winning Right" headquarters to boost turnout.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich convened an emergency meeting with dozens of local authority heads on Tuesday, aiming to increase voter turnout among the right-wing bloc in the final hours of the Knesset elections. Both leaders expressed concern that the right-wing camp could lose if turnout remains low, urging local officials to mobilize their ground operations to bring more voters to the polls.
Netanyahu specifically targeted Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, warning against voting for his party and labeling it "fake right-wing." He emphasized that a victory depends on mobilizing voters, stating, "We can win if we get people out to vote. You need to get the real right out to vote. Without Lieberman. If he doesn't pass the electoral threshold, the mandates go to us."
Smotrich, addressing leaders in Judea and Samaria, called for activists to focus on voter mobilization efforts in cities. He warned about high turnout among left-wing and Arab voters, advising against supporting parties unlikely to pass the electoral threshold. "Turnout is very high, both on the left and in Arab communities. We could lose, get people out to vote. Also explain why not to vote for Winter and others because they won't pass the electoral threshold due to high turnout. It's hopeless," he stated.
The emergency meeting was prompted by record-high voter turnout figures released by the Central Elections Committee. By 4:00 PM, 55.7% of eligible voters had cast ballots, the highest rate recorded at that hour since 1973. This significantly surpasses the 47.5% turnout by the same time in the 2022 elections.
Netanyahu and Smotrich are particularly focused on securing votes from those considering smaller parties, such as Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party. The electoral threshold is 3.25% of valid votes, and parties failing to meet this will not receive Knesset seats. The high overall turnout increases the risk for larger parties of losing votes to smaller factions.
The meeting is part of a broader ground operation led by the "Winning Right" headquarters, a joint effort by the Likud and the Religious Zionism parties. Yisrael Gantz, chairman of the headquarters, reported that approximately 4,500 volunteers are working across right-wing strongholds to encourage voting, aiming to bring tens of thousands more voters to the polls before closing.
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