Justice Minister Extends IBA Voting Hours After Renewed Call

Justice Minister Yariv Levin agreed to extend voting hours for the election of the Israel Bar Association (IBA) head until 20:00 local time. Most polling stations (except some larger ones) were originally scheduled to close at 17:00 but long queues prompted the IBA to ask for an extension.

• Levin ignored the initial call from the IBA and only agreed to extend voting hours after a second "urgent" plea. The Minister accepted the request on the condition that the extended voting hours will be applied to all polling stations across the country.
• Around 23.6% of eligible voters cast their ballots by 14:50 local time, compared with the overall turnout of just under 30.0% in the previous election, which points to a high degree of mobilisation during the polarised, politically significant contest.
• It is unclear how long the vote count could take, but some have suggested that the results may not be released until tomorrow morning. Since there is no fixed time for the announcement, it is worth keeping an eye on the wires.
• A candidate needs to secure the support of at least 40% of voting members in order to be elected head of the association. Otherwise, two leading candidates would advance to a run-off, which would be held within several weeks from now.