Jerusalem: Turnout was running at a relatively low level of 39 per cent after nine hours of voting in Israel's election on Tuesday, the central elections commission said.
Amid widespread pre-poll fears that overall turnout would be markedly lower than usual, the figure was lagging five percent behind the corresponding period in the last election in 2003.
Fearing the low turnout could hamper its chances to win a decisive result, the ruling Kadima party sent tens of thousands of mobile phone text messages and e-mails urging people to flock to the voting stations.
"We sent out the SMS messages because of the low turnout, which is not only bad for us, but for all the other parties," Kadima spokeswoman Maya Jacobs said.
President Moshe Katsav and Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert were among those who urged the five million-strong electorate to vote in force on a day, which has been declared a public holiday.
"I call on Israeli citizens to fulfil their civic obligations, not to miss this occasion. These elections are among the most important in the history of our state," Katsav told public radio.
Olmert has made the election a de-facto referendum on his pledge to fix Israel's final borders, with or without the agreement of the Palestinians.
Polls opened at 0500 GMT and are due to close at 2000 GMT, although definitive results are not expected until the early hours of Wednesday.
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