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Israeli PM Netanyahu votes in Jerusalem

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their vote at a polling booth in Jerusalem in an election that will decide whether he will remain in office after more than a decade in power.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara casting their ballots
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Published : Apr 9, 2019, 7:07 PM IST

Jerusalem: In the most closely fought elections in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their vote at a polling station in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara casting their ballots

Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term. This election will decide whether he will remain in office after more than a decade in power.

If he wins, he will become Israel's longest-ever serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

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However, Netanyahu's Likud party faces stiff competition from retired military chief Benny Gantz's Blue and White party and recent polling suggests that his party trails behind Gantz's party.

Netanyahu still has a chance to form his government through coalition, as some small nationalist parties backing him.

Netanyahu, who is the ninth Prime Minister of Israel, has been serving the nation since 2009 for three consecutive terms and has also lead the country from 1996 to 1999.

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This election is very critical for the 69-year-old as various corruption scandals have tarnished his image.

Some 6.4 million eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots at more than 10,000 stations.

Jerusalem: In the most closely fought elections in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara cast their vote at a polling station in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Netanyahu and his wife Sara casting their ballots

Netanyahu is seeking a fifth term. This election will decide whether he will remain in office after more than a decade in power.

If he wins, he will become Israel's longest-ever serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.

Also Read: Uyghur man promises release of mother from China detention camp

However, Netanyahu's Likud party faces stiff competition from retired military chief Benny Gantz's Blue and White party and recent polling suggests that his party trails behind Gantz's party.

Netanyahu still has a chance to form his government through coalition, as some small nationalist parties backing him.

Netanyahu, who is the ninth Prime Minister of Israel, has been serving the nation since 2009 for three consecutive terms and has also lead the country from 1996 to 1999.

Also Read: 3 killed as militants hit govt post in northwest Syria

This election is very critical for the 69-year-old as various corruption scandals have tarnished his image.

Some 6.4 million eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots at more than 10,000 stations.

RESTRICTION SUMMARY: AP CLIENTS ONLY
SHOTLIST:
ASSOCIATED PRESS - AP CLIENTS ONLY
Jerusalem - 9 April 2019
1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu submitting documentation to polling booth officials
2. Netanyahu behind a polling booth and picking up voting paper UPSOUND (Hebrew) "I must tell you there was no quandary, but this is a sacred act, the meaning of democracy, we are blessed with it. But one must choose good. I can't say what. I can but I don't want to. Not here. (Reporter: There should be cameras everywhere, not visible. It's important to ensure a legitimate vote.) With god's help, the State of Israel will win. Thank you all. Go and vote!"
3. Netanyahu and his wife Sara casting their ballots
4. Netanyahu and Sara posing for a photograph with polling booth officials
5. Netanyahu and Sara posing for media photographs and leaving polling station
STORYLINE:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cast his vote at a polling booth in Jerusalem in an election that will decide whether he will remain in office after more than a decade in power.
Clouded by a series of looming corruption indictments, Netanyahu is seeking a fourth consecutive and a fifth overall term in office, which would make him Israel's longest-ever serving leader, surpassing founding father David Ben-Gurion.
However recent polling has suggested that his Likud party trails the Blue and White party, headed by retired military chief Benny Gantz.
Netanyahu still appears to have the best chance of forming a coalition, though, with a smattering of small nationalist parties backing him.
The election has emerged as a referendum on Netanyahu and his 13 years overall in power, with the existential questions facing Israel rarely being discussed in the campaign.
But the 69-year-old's various corruption scandals have created some voter fatigue, and in recent days he's vowed to annex Jewish West Bank settlements if re-elected - a prospect that could doom the already slim hopes of establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, which Netanyahu has previously wavered on.
Polling stations opened at 7 a.m., with exit polls expected at the end of the voting day, at 10 p.m.
Some 6.4 million eligible voters will be able to cast their ballots at more than 10,000 stations.
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