Israel’s Central Elections Committee on Wednesday approved the results of the October 27 parliamentary election and found no evidence of fraud, formally rejecting the claims promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters since polling day. The committee said it had audited 9,069 polling stations after complaints from political factions and was confident the announced results accurately reflect the will of the voters. Acting director Dean Livne said every complaint had been examined individually and thoroughly and that none supported invalidating the outcome.
The finding closes the dispute that has run since the November 2 edition of this briefing, when the committee first said the results stood. What is new is the completed audit, the formal approval vote and the handover of the certified results to President Isaac Herzog, who receives them on Wednesday and begins consultations with the parties elected to the Knesset over who should get the first attempt to form a government. Otzma Yehudit representatives were reported to be the only committee members to vote against approval, with other coalition representatives abstaining.
The arithmetic the certification locks in leaves no bloc in control. Netanyahu’s religious nationalist bloc holds 53 seats and the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot holds 48 in the 120 seat parliament, short of the 61 needed for a majority on either side. Arab led parties, whose gains were the focus of the fraud allegations, are positioned to decide which bloc can govern, which is why the committee’s rejection of the claims matters beyond procedure.
One inquiry remains open and should not be conflated with the fraud finding. A Shin Bet investigation into allegations of foreign interference and funding is continuing, and the committee’s chair, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, has said that even if those suspicions were substantiated they would not undermine the integrity of the election or its overall result. Attorney General Gali Baharav Miara has said individuals will not be questioned without supporting evidence.
Status: the results are certified and the formation process is under way. The next steps are Herzog’s consultations and his nomination of a candidate to form a government, followed by coalition negotiations in which the price of Arab party support, on policy and on portfolios, becomes the central question.