Israeli election czar rejects coalition request to delay official results publication

Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg rejected a request from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism parties to delay the official Knesset election results, stating the law requires publication on Wednesday.

The Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and Religious Zionism parties are tending to abstain from voting on the results of the Knesset elections, scheduled to be announced on Wednesday. This comes amid continued attempts by Benjamin Netanyahu's camp to cast doubt on the integrity of the elections under the pretext of suspicions of foreign interference. The head of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, rejected the Likud's request to delay the publication of the final results, stressing that the law requires their announcement on Wednesday. Sohlberg explained in a letter to committee members that the Basic Law: The Knesset mandates the publication of results on the specified date, and that no body has the authority to prevent their announcement or delay the convening of the new Knesset. He emphasized that "no body has the authority to prevent the publication of the results," and that representatives of the outgoing parties do not have the right to prevent the convening of the elected Knesset. He added that any objection to the results must be examined in court after their official publication.