Israel’s CEC head Solberg rejects Likud’s demand — Jerusalem Post

In Israel, Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg rejected the Likud party’s demand to hold a briefing on suspicions of foreign interference before approving and publishing the parliamentary election results. As The Jerusalem Post reports, Solberg said that the Knesset majority from the previous term has no authority to delay the publication of the results.

The publication of results cannot be blocked

In a letter to Likud representative and committee deputy chairman Ilan Bombach, Solberg stressed that the election results do not depend on the consent of the majority in the outgoing Knesset. According to him, interpreting the committee’s authority as a right to block the publication of the results would contradict fundamental democratic principles, as it would effectively extend the term of the previous parliament.

Solberg cited Article 11 of the Basic Law: The Knesset, which provides for the publication of the results in the official gazette within eight days after the vote. He noted that the CEC chairman and his deputies must count the valid votes and determine the allocation of seats according to the formula established by law, while the full commission must approve these calculations. The committee is not authorized to annul votes, replace the results or refuse to publish them.

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Likud’s request and suspicions of interference

Bombach demanded an urgent meeting of the CEC leadership with the participation of Shin Bet chief David Zini before the meeting scheduled for Wednesday. He requested data on the suspicions, the course of the investigation and its conclusions, stating that committee members cannot agree to the publication of the results without this information.

Solberg replied that such a briefing does not fall within the authority of the CEC leadership or plenary, and that disclosing additional information could harm the investigation. According to him, the inquiry is being conducted by Shin Bet, the police and the prosecution. Earlier, Likud accused Arab parties of allegedly “stealing” the election, but police said they had no investigative or intelligence basis to substantiate broader claims of vote theft.

After the count was completed, the bloc of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won 53 seats, falling short of a parliamentary majority. The official results are to be published and submitted to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday.