Sohlberg Certifies Israeli Election Results Amid Fraud Disputes
The Central Election Committee finalized the October 27 outcome despite objections from Likud and far-right blocs, triggering a 42-day clock for government formation.
By Jason Kovalenko ·
Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg handed President Isaac Herzog the certified results of Israel’s October 27 election on Wednesday, formally ending the ballot despite ongoing investigations into alleged fraud. Sohlberg, the chairman of the Central Election Committee, stated that doubting the validity of the vote poses a "real danger" to the country's democratic framework. The certification process moved forward after the committee’s five-member presidium approved the results in the morning, with opposition representatives voting in favor while outgoing coalition members abstained.
The full committee plenum ratified the results later in the day. Fifteen members, representing the opposition blocs, voted to certify the outcome. Two representatives from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party voted against certification, and the remaining 14 coalition representatives abstained. Likud MK Amit Halevi resigned from the committee, arguing that the body should certify only the choice of Israeli citizens and not the influence of foreign powers. The results were subsequently published in the state gazette as required by law.
The certification follows two active investigations into electoral irregularities. The Shin Bet and Mossad are probing intelligence suggesting that funds from Qatar and other countries reached the Joint List of Arab parties through disguised donations. A separate police investigation examines alleged vote-buying in the Negev region. The Shin Bet informed the committee that initial intelligence points to foreign influence operations involving thousands of people, though the agency noted that further work is needed to determine the exact scale of the activity. No public evidence has yet shown that these operations altered the final vote count.
President Herzog accepted the results and expressed confidence in the law enforcement agencies handling the probes. He spoke with Shin Bet chief David Zini and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara earlier in the day. Herzog condemned recent rhetoric against Arab Israelis as "coarse and racist" and urged political factions to compromise on campaign promises to avoid a new election. He emphasized that the state must manage the political deadlock created by the October ballot without repeating the voting process.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, leader of Otzma Yehudit, rejected the certification. He called for Shin Bet chief Zini to arrest Arab party leaders and questioned why the vote was considered safe on election day if large sums of money were flowing in. Ben Gvir demanded an immediate freeze on the certification process to uncover the "truth" behind the election.
The president will begin consultations with Knesset factions to determine who receives the first mandate to form a government. Once assigned, the designated leader has up to 42 days to build a coalition. The committee’s post-election review, which covered protocols from 9,069 polling stations, found no irregularities that would suggest the integrity of the vote was compromised.
Sohlberg noted that the committee has no authority to reject the voters' decision. He explained that if evidence of fraud emerges, appeals can be filed with the Jerusalem District Court. The outgoing coalition had sought to delay certification until the investigations concluded, but Sohlberg rejected the attempt, citing the need for a peaceful transfer of power.
