Herzog Certifies Israeli Election Results, Rejecting Fraud Claims
The Israeli president ruled the parliamentary vote legally binding after the election commission found no irregularities, setting the stage for coalition negotiations.
By Ana Castro ·
Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results of last week's parliamentary election on Wednesday, declaring the vote legally binding. He announced that he would immediately begin consultations with party leaders to determine who will form the next government. This decision counters the sustained efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to invalidate the vote.
The election commission issued a statement earlier on Wednesday after reviewing all parties' claims. The body found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the election's integrity or affected its outcome. Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the commission, presented the certified results to Herzog in a formal ceremony.
Netanyahu's Likud party lost its majority in the Knesset during the Oct. 27 vote. His religious-nationalist bloc failed to secure enough seats to govern alone. Meanwhile, Arab-led parties achieved historic gains. Netanyahu and his supporters had argued that these parties stole the election, potentially with foreign assistance, though they offered no proof for these claims.
The Shin Bet intelligence service is still investigating allegations of foreign interference. During a closed-door meeting on Wednesday, Sohlberg read an assessment stating the agency believed substantial funds from foreign states, including hostile nations, flowed into Israel. The Shin Bet, led by David Zini, provided no specific evidence for this assertion. Sohlberg described these as suspicions that would have a limited impact on the results even if proven true.
Herzog is now required to meet with various political figures to identify a prime minister-designate. Neither Netanyahu nor his chief rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, secured a majority in the Oct. 27 election. Eisenkot could potentially form a coalition with some of the Arab-led parties. If neither candidate can assemble a governing majority, Israel will hold a new election early next year.
The Shin Bet requested permission on Tuesday to interrogate several elected officials, including Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected the request, stating it was impermissible to question citizens without justification. The Joint List of Arab parties called the move a campaign of incitement. Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right ally of Netanyahu, urged the Shin Bet to arrest Arab political leaders for interrogation in basement cells.
Herzog said the Shin Bet investigation should proceed but warned that Arab Israeli voters must not be smeared. He condemned recent coarseness and racist expressions. The president emphasized that public trust in the electoral process is easy to destroy but very difficult to repair.
