High Court grants Knesset exemption from law because MKs are busy with campaigns

The High Court effectively postponed the election of the State Comptroller to the next Knesset, relying on the Knesset legal adviser's position that MKs are busy with campaigns. The author criticizes the decision as a violation of a previous ruling and a dangerous message to politicians.

The High Court, through a single judge Ruth Ronen, ruled that the Knesset may delay the election of the next State Comptroller until after the elections, based on the Knesset legal adviser, Adv. Sagit Afik's claim that MKs are busy with campaigns and there is no practical possibility to hold the vote before the election date. The decision relies on Afik's position, which described a "real difficulty" in holding the election, and on the separate position of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who demanded independent representation and argued that the comptroller could be elected in the next Knesset. The article sharply criticizes the decision, arguing that it constitutes a de facto violation of a previous High Court ruling, and that it sends a message that political considerations override the law. It further claims that such a substantive decision should have been made by a panel of judges rather than a single judge.