Ambassador to New Zealand Shemi Tzur won the distinction this year of being the
first to vote in the upcoming elections, casting his ballot at the Israeli
Embassy in Wellington on Thursday.
The embassy was one of 95 consulates
and embassies where balloting took place on Thursday. Consulates in Los Angeles
and San Francisco will conclude the overseas voting some 30 hours after Tzur
cast his ballot.
Israelis representing the Foreign Ministry, IDF, Jewish
Agency and other government agencies abroad – and their families – have the
right to vote. There are some 4,500 eligible voters overseas.
The most
active polling place abroad is New York, where some 700 Israelis have the right
to vote.
The votes are sealed in a double envelope and sent back to
Israel via diplomatic post, to be opened and counted on Election Day, January
22.