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 the form 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.
Israel clears poll results amid fraud claims.
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 received a summary of the ongoing investigation into the allegations on Wednesday morning and 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 not to 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.
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.