Millions of Israeli citizens are heading to polling stations today to vote in one of the most contentious polls in recent memory. As of 4:00 PM local time, 45.4% of eligible voters have cast ballots in today’s Israeli elections, according to the Israeli Central Elections Committee. This is slightly lower than the 46.6% turnout at that point in 2013. The Tower will publish results of exit polls as soon as voting concludes at 10:00 PM local time (4:00 PM on the East coast of the United States).

However, the decision by multiple Arab parties to combine into a joint list has seemingly raised Arab participation in the voting—10% of Israeli Arabs had voted as of 11:00 AM, as opposed to 3% at the same time in 2013.

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, of the Likud party, said that high voter turnout is “good for the nation and good for Israel.”

At his polling place, former Israeli President Shimon Peres expressed similar sentiments:

Addressing the media Peres said that there have been so many attacks against Israeli democracy, that the elections were a means of demonstrating Israel’s democratic process.

“I and most other Israelis care about Israel’s image and we care about democracy in our country,” he said. “Many people are watching the process of democracy in Israel and I call on everyone to contribute to an understanding by the world that Israelis care and that they prove this by voting.”

Although he could not predict the result of the vote, Peres emphasized that no-one on the right or the left had a monopoly on caring about the fate of the country. “I know that everyone cares,” he said, “and they prove this by placing a slip in the ballot box.”

At 1:00 Wednesday morning, Israel’s Central Election Committee will release results from 60% of the polling stations. Formal results of the voting will be presented to Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin on March 25, at which point he will ask the leader of one of the two largest parties to form a new government.

[Photo: euronews (in English) / YouTube ]