New Delhi, 10 January, 2013: Israeli diplomats posted in India voted today for the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, ahead of the general elections, set to take place in Israel on January 22nd. Israeli Government officials and their family members, posted in the Embassy of Israel in New Delhi and in the Israeli Consulates in Mumbai and in Bangalore, took part in early polls held for around 4000 Israeli Government employees working in 96 diplomatic missions across the world.
The ballots from the three Israeli missions in India will be sent to Jerusalem, where they will be securely stored and opened to be counted only after the general elections will end in the country, on 22 January. Israel's Embassy in New Delhi is the largest Israeli mission in Asia. In Bangalore, Israeli elections are held for the first time in the Consulate opened earlier this year.
After casting his vote in New Delhi this morning, Ambassador of Israel to India, Mr. Alon Ushpiz, said: "it is a special privilege to take an active part in Israel's democratic process here in India, the world's largest democracy".