Following Likud and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unusual request to extend polling station hours beyond 22:00, political correspondent and analyst Michael Shemesh offered an analysis of the motives behind the dramatic move.
Shemesh outlined three main possibilities behind Netanyahu's decision in the critical night hours:
The first possibility is to give Likud voters additional time to reach the polls, against the backdrop of turnout data showing lower-than-expected participation in some Likud strongholds.
The second possibility concerns delaying the broadcast of exit polls by the media. If one of the opposition camp leaders is set to be declared as forming the next government, postponing the closing of polling stations delays that moment of announcement and gives Likud additional breathing room.
