Referring to voting for the Knesset as the “Holy of Holies of the democratic system of the State of Israel,” President Reuven Rivlin, voting on Tuesday for the last time as president of the state, once again urged the public to go out and vote.
Rivlin arrived at the Yefe Nof School in Beit Hakerem, not far from his private home, slightly in advance of 10:30 a.m. and tweeted that he was voting for the last time as president in the election for the 24th Knesset.
A member of his staff entered the polling station and placed a copy of his speech on the lectern, which had been placed near the polling box, then exited and held the door ajar for the president.
Rivlin, mask intact, entered and made a semblance of shaking hands with the head of the polling team. He presented his ID card to one of the young women on duty. She checked the details and sent him in the direction of the polling booths. Rivlin, unsure about which one to go to, pointed to one to ascertain that this was where he would choose the party slip to place in the envelope.
There was obviously no last-minute uncertainty on his part. He emerged very quickly and posed momentarily with his envelope over the slit of the ballot box to be photographed for posterity. He then made his way to the lectern, where he temporarily removed his mask, saying he was voting not only as president but as a very concerned citizen for whom voting in the Knesset elections is the “Holy of Holies of the democratic system of the State of Israel... There is no other way.”
Rivlin thanked the Central Elections Committee, headed by Justice Uzi Fogelman, which, under enormous pressure, was able to guarantee that every eligible voter, including those infected by the coronavirus, could cast his or her ballot.
Concluding his remarks with a heart-to-heart from the president to the people, Rivlin entreated the public to vote “for our children, grandchildren, future generations and for ourselves. Together we can achieve a victory for Israel’s democracy.”
He then replaced his mask, reclaimed his ID card, which he placed in the left-hand breast pocket of his suit, and left for the Knesset to convey his appreciation to Fogelman and Central Elections Committee Director-General Orly Ades.