Deri Urges Shas Voters to Turn Out, Warning of Strong Participation Among Rivals

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri urged supporters to vote promptly on Tuesday morning, October 27, saying he had already cast his ballot for the party. In a Hebrew post, he linked his own vote to religious observance and warned that political rivals would turn out in large numbers. “I call on everyone to hurry, vote and make an impact,” Deri said. His appeal portrayed the election as a struggle concerning Judaism and Torah. He began by thanking God and described his vote for Shas in terms of fulfilling a religious obligation and listening to the sages, placing that religious message alongside his request for supporters to take part. Deri predicted very high participation in left-wing strongholds and among Arab voters. He also claimed that tens of thousands of people had come from abroad to vote against continued right-wing rule. Those were Deri’s assertions about his opponents and their mobilization, rather than published turnout measurements. His post supplied no participation percentages or figures for individual polling places; the warning was framed as an expectation of strong rival turnout accompanying his appeal to Shas voters.