Peres urges Israeli citizens to fulfill their civic duty and vote

By JPOST.COM STAFF
President Shimon Peres issued a statement Monday calling on Israeli citizens to fulfill their civic duty and vote in Tuesday's elections for the 18th Knesset. "Going to the polls tomorrow is doubly important," read the statement. "The significance is not only of choosing the leader of our country who will be responsible for its future, but also of exercising the duty of every citizen to vote on behalf of the only true democracy in the Middle East." "These days, many try to denigrate the character of the State of Israel," continued the president. "However, we are a democratic country in the fullest sense of the word, and the vote tomorrow will be a statement by all of our citizens which will prove that the democracy of Israel is deeply rooted and broad in scope. Peres said Tuesday's elections were particularly important because of the political, security, economic and social issues that the country would face in the near future.