PTI
Jerusalem
Amid allegations of vote theft and electoral fraud, Israel’s Central Election Committee (CEC) chairman Noam Sohlberg presented the results of the October 27 election to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday, setting in motion consultations on the formation of a new government.
Warning against attempts to cast doubt on the election results, Sohlberg, a Supreme Court justice, said doing so posed “a real danger” to Israel’s democracy. He stressed that even if suspicions of electoral fraud were proven, their possible impact would not be enough to invalidate the results.
“In recent days, we have heard voices trying to cast doubt on the election results and undermine their legitimacy. This is a real danger,” Sohlberg said at a ceremony at the President’s official residence here.
“One of the foundations of democracy is the ability to have a peaceful transfer of power. This stems from the understanding that the will of the electorate obligates us all,” he said.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its coalition partners had alleged electoral fraud and demanded that the publication of the election results be stalled.
Sohlberg said CEC members had been presented with a summary of the ongoing investigation into the allegations on Wednesday morning and had insisted that the suspicions be thoroughly investigated.
“At the moment they are only suspicions, but even if they are confirmed the extent of their possible impact is limited. Therefore, it is not possible to not publish the election results … And extend the term of the Knesset which has ended its term,” he said.
“Accordingly, we publish the elections now. If evidence is found going forward, it will be possible to act on the path set out by law for appealing the election results,” Sohlberg said.
He also warned against casting doubt on voting in Arab communities. “We must not cast doubt on voting in Arab society, just as we must not cast doubt on any other group in Israeli society,” he said.
“Disagreements do not have to end when the votes are counted, but the results are binding on all of us,” Sohlberg said.
Herzog, meanwhile, said he had “full confidence” in the work of the Shin Bet security agency, police and other law enforcement authorities investigating allegations of foreign interference in the election.
“Any suspicion of subversive external influence on the election results must be thoroughly investigated by the Shin Bet and the police,” he said, urging patience.
Herzog also warned against “vilifying” Israel’s Arab community. “Beware of generalisations. I have great respect for Arab society in Israel. I value its contribution to the country in every area of life and its desire to integrate,” he said, condemning racist remarks heard recently.
“The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality,” Herzog added.
The president is scheduled to hold consultations with representatives of political parties elected to the Knesset to decide whom to task with forming the government based on party endorsements.
The candidate chosen by Herzog will have 28 days to form a coalition, with the president able to grant an additional 14 days if he assesses that more time is needed.
Earlier on Wednesday, the CEC approved the election results by a vote of 15-14, with two abstentions, saying allegations of irregularities were still under investigation but did not warrant rejecting the results.
Sohlberg said the allegations concerning aspects of the election process remained unsubstantiated and did not cast doubt on the integrity of the election as a whole or justify rejecting the results.
The committee said it had found no evidence of irregularities that undermined the integrity of the election or affected its results after reviewing more than 9,000 polling stations, representing approximately 75 per cent of the total.
The CEC said the review lasted six days and was conducted by more than 250 lawyers along with committee staff. At 350 polling stations, it carried out what it described as an “in-depth examination” of voting materials and documentation.
The committee also examined approximately 2,400 complaints submitted by political parties and candidate lists concerning 1,350 polling stations, as well as around 1,200 complaints from the public involving 750 polling stations.
Likud alone reportedly submitted around 1,200 complaints alleging irregularities at polling stations in Arab communities.
The decision came after the Shin Bet told the committee that it had intelligence indicating that foreign actors with undisclosed or hostile interests had transferred large sums of money from abroad in an effort to exert influence on the election.
According to local media reports, the Shin Bet said information gathered so far suggested that “the sums involved are substantial and that the activity extends beyond thousands of individuals”.
However, law enforcement and police sources were quoted as saying they were unfamiliar with the claim that “vast sums” of money were involved or that the activity extended to thousands of people. The investigation into suspected foreign interference remains ongoing.
The October 27 election produced a fractured mandate, with Netanyahu’s Likud emerging as the single largest party and his bloc holding a small edge over its rivals but falling short of a parliamentary majority.
Neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition “change bloc” led by his main rival, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, secured a parliamentary majority, raising the possibility of negotiations with smaller parties, including Arab-led parties, to form a government.
The opposition bloc has vowed to work to oust Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.
The Arab parties won 19 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, making them potential kingmakers in the deeply divided parliament.
If neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot succeeds in forming a government, Israel could be headed for another election early next year.
