Israel's Central Elections Committee has formally certified the results of last week's parliamentary election, saying a review of 9,069 polling stations found no irregularities that compromised the vote or changed its outcome. The decision is seen as a major blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's efforts to cast doubt on the election.
The committee's acting director, Dean Livne, said every complaint had been examined individually and the results accurately reflected voters' choices. On the five-member presidium, representatives of Yesh Atid and Blue and White voted to ratify, Likud and Shas abstained, and the chair, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, cast the deciding vote.
Netanyahu and his allies have claimed, without evidence, that Arab-led parties "stole" the election, possibly with foreign help. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called the results "fraudulent" and demanded the arrest of Arab party leaders. Qatar has rejected claims that it funded Arab-led parties, calling them disinformation.
The results were handed to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. He will consult party leaders over two days before choosing the candidate best placed to form a coalition. Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, Gadi Eisenkot's bloc 48, and the Arab-led parties Ra'am and the Joint List a record 19. No side reached the 61 seats needed to govern, and if no coalition can be formed Israel could hold another election early next year.