|
  |
|
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Jerrold Kessel: Israeli voter turnout low
TEL AVIV, Israel (CNN) -- Israeli voters turned out in low numbers Tuesday in what was expected to be a decisive victory for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. If Sharon keeps his post, as expected, he faces the difficult task of forming a coalition government. CNN Correspondent Jerrold Kessel filed the following report from a Tel Aviv polling station: KESSEL: There has been some brisk voting but not nearly as brisk as usual. Israelis normally turn out in droves and early on. But this time, as we'll see in this particular polling station where we're at, it's empty at the moment. Now, at this time in the morning, normally you would have had a queue of voters. But really they're not here, and after three hours, you had a 10 percent turnout in the polls. And that's way down and in fact is the lowest recorded of any in an Israeli election. And the reason that's significant is because the pollsters are saying Mr. Sharon and his Likud party will come out on top. A low percentage turnout could have a dramatic effect on their polls, and that could be the thing that could confound the pollsters and maybe provide something of a surprise. I don't think a real surprise, but it could change the constellation, and that could mean Mr. Sharon would have even more difficulty than ever of forming a solid coalition after the elections. The election is very important for the United States, and I think the Bush administration has been watching this election very closely. There's no secret that the administration would like to see a stable government, would like to see Mr. Sharon, who -- Mr. Bush clearly [thinks he] understands the shape of the Middle East, understands where Israel is in terms of the possibility as it's seen here, a probability of a war in Iraq. ... ... We could have a degree of instability, as I say, in the forming of a new coalition, and that would be worrisome to the United States.
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
