The Knesset election on Monday will go down in history as the most unique Israel has had so far: It will have been the first time Israelis go to the polls for the third time in less than a year, with the total cost to the economy being at least NIS 9 billion ($2.6 billion) in lost productivity.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The unusual situation was caused by the ongoing gridlock following the elections in April and September. Each election resulted in a hung parliament in which neither the Left nor the Right were strong enough to swear in a government, forcing the dissolution of the Knesset and another snap election.
Israelis hope Monday will prove that the third time is a charm.
Exit polls will be released at around 10 p.m. (3 p.m. EST) Israel time on Monday, with final results likely early Tuesday morning. After all the votes are counted, President Reuven Rivlin is expected to hold talks with the newly elected MKs to gauge the strength of each political bloc.
Polls from last week suggest neither Likud, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, nor Blue and White, led by former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, will get enough seats to swing the pendulum in their favor, making the prospect of a fourth early election in the summer very likely.
The overall direct expenditures stemming from the repeated election are NIS 3.2 billion shekels ($687 million), including public funding for campaigns.
The Central Elections Committee's budget increased by 42% since the April 2019 election, reaching a whopping NIS 402 million ($115 million) for the third election.
Moreover, because each Election Day was defined as a holiday, employers had to pay workers as if reported to work. This will total some NIS 7.5 billion ($ 2.15 billion) in wages by the time Monday's vote is complete, with each day of voting costing the economy some NIS 3 billion ($860 million) in lost productivity.
