Central Elections C’ttee disqualifies Arab parties

Israel's Central Elections Committee disqualified the two Arab parties, Ra'am and the Joint Arab List, from running in the October 27 elections. The committee also disqualified MK Ofer Cassif and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh. The High Court of Justice is expected to overturn the decision next week.

Israel's Central Elections Committee disqualified the two Arab parties, Mansour Abbas's Ra'am and the Joint Arab List (Hadash, Balad, and Ta'al), from running in the elections for the 26th Knesset. The committee also specifically disqualified candidates MK Ofer Cassif from Hadash and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, the latter with the backing of committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg. However, the High Court of Justice is expected to overturn the decision and allow both parties to contest the October 27 elections when it rules next week on petitions against the disqualifications. The article cites Dr. Ofir Haddad and Dr. Amir Fuchs of the Israel Democracy Institute, who argue that Israel's disqualification mechanism is problematic as it restricts the right to run for office, and that Israel is the only country where this mechanism is administered by a party-based body rather than a professional electoral commission or constitutional court.