Jerusalem, Oct. 27 -- Israel's electorate headed to the polls in large numbers, pushing national voter participation to 74.3 per cent by 8 pm, according to official data released by the Central Elections Committee.

The robust figure reflects a notable increase in civic engagement compared to the previous electoral cycle, when overall turnout for the 2022 polls stood at 70.63 per cent.

Building on that momentum, national turnout had earlier surged to 66.7 per cent by 6 pm, marking a nine-percentage-point leap compared to the 57.7 per cent recorded at the same hour during the 2022 general election and establishing the highest voter participation ever recorded at that hour in the nation's history, according to the Times of Israel.

As the ...