Likud Party Considers Rejecting Certification of Israeli Election Results
Israel's Likud party is debating a vote to refuse certification of the recent election, a move that legal experts say would be unprecedented and likely overturned by courts.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party is weighing a vote to refuse recognition of the results of Israel's October 27 election and to oppose their certification by the Central Elections Committee on Wednesday. Such a refusal would be unprecedented in Israeli history, and legal scholars note that the committee's role is limited to technical approval of the tally, with no authority to delay publication under the Basic Law.
The committee's presidium, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg and including deputies from the four largest parties in the outgoing Knesset, is responsible for confirming the final vote count and seat distribution before the results are released. Justice Sohlberg has rejected Likud's demand for a pre-certification discussion, stating, ">No authority has been granted to any party, however distinguished or senior, to withhold publication of the election results. Once elections have been held, their results must be published on the date prescribed by the Basic Law."
Prof. Yaniv Roznai, deputy dean of Reichman University's law school, said a refusal to certify would be without precedent and emphasized that the committee is a political body composed of party representatives. He suggested that Justice Sohlberg should remind members that they lack the power to delay certification and warned that parties might seek a High Court ruling to shift responsibility to the judiciary.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party has announced it will vote against certification. Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, accused Netanyahu and Likud of undermining the election, writing, ">Likud and Netanyahu are continuing their destructive and aggressive campaign to delegitimize the election results and the Central Elections Committee with full force. This is a direct assault on Israeli democracy."
If the committee were to vote against certification, legal analysts expect the decision to be swiftly challenged and likely overturned by the courts, as the committee does not have the jurisdiction to invalidate or postpone the publication of election outcomes.