Israel diplomats and other representatives in Rwanda were among the first to go to polls as the country begins the process to elect its next Prime Minister.
By 12:40 PM Kigali time, at least only four embassy diplomats had voted and the polling station was expected to close at 8 pm.
"Any election for us is a celebration of democracy. We are very proud of the system. Today is the citizens' day," Ron Adams, Israel Ambassador to Rwanda, told The New Times upon voting.
Adams said Israeli diplomats in Rwanda are among the 5,200 Israelis across 90 foreign missions who voted on Wednesday.
According to Israel Ambassador to Rwanda, New Zealand was the first country where Israelis went to polls, and Latin American countries will vote last.
New York has the highest number of voting diplomats and country representatives (500 of them).
The general elections are expected to take place on March 2, its third vote in less than a year, after two elections failed to yield a conclusive result.
The first elections took place in April last year and the second took place in September, last year.
It is the first time in history the country is holding three national polls in less than a year.
All that has to do with coalition building, a vital part of Israel’s political system in which it is extremely unlikely for a party to win an outright majority in the 120-seat Knesset (parliament).
The incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main challenger, former military chief Benny Gantz are dominating the campaign trail.
Netanyahu trial
The elections come right after an Israeli court on Tuesday said the corruption trial of Netanyahu will begin on March 17, two weeks after national elections are held.
Netanyahu is charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust under a number of cases in which he is alleged to have accepted lavish gifts from billionaire friends and exchanged regulatory favours for more positive media coverage.
Netanyahu denies the charges and says he is the victim of a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Under Israeli law, a sitting prime minister is only required to step down once convicted of an offence and after all avenues of appeal have been exhausted.
This week, Israel media reported that Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is expected to deliver an opinion to the High Court of Justice saying that Netanyahu should be allowed to form a government after the March election, despite corruption charges against him.
In January, the High Court threw out a petition urging it to bar Netanyahu from forming a government due to the charges against him in three criminal cases.
The court said it would not make a decision on the matter, because the timing was "premature.”
Before the ruling, Mandelblit has refused to present the court with an opinion on the matter.
Hope for a new leader?
Adams told The New Times that repeated elections have implications on how Israel affairs are run.
His hope is that someone (a new Prime Minister) will be voted and be able to form a coalition government to avoid the consequences.
One of those consequences is the budget constraints to government ministries.
"The budget now is carried out at 1 out of 12 of last year; every month you get 1 out of 12 of last year," he noted.
It is believed that Israel political deadlock has been complicated by Netanyahu alleged corruption trial.
The longest-serving Prime Minister has failed to garner the convincing support as a result of corruption charges against him.