The battle for State Comptroller: Alaron demands a new vote from the High Court immediately

Retired judge Yosef Alaron responded to the High Court and called for an immediate second vote for the position of State Comptroller, after the High Court annulled the previous vote results in which attorney Michael Raabillo was elected, citing a breach of voting secrecy. Alaron received 60 votes in the first round and 57 in the second, compared to 57 and 61 for Raabillo respectively.

Retired judge Yosef Alaron responded Thursday to the High Court amid the turmoil surrounding the election of the State Comptroller, and called for an immediate second vote for the position. This follows the High Court's annulment of the previous vote results due to a breach of the secrecy principle, ordering a new election process. The crisis began with the first Knesset vote, where Alaron received support from 60 Knesset members, while attorney Michael Raabillo, the coalition's candidate and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's lawyer, received 57 votes. Since neither candidate achieved the required majority, a second decisive round was held, in which Raabillo reversed the result and was elected with 61 Knesset members, compared to 57 votes for Alaron. After the vote, petitions were filed with the High Court, alleging a breach of secrecy, including due to documentation of coalition Knesset members' ballots. The court accepted the petitions, first issuing an interim order freezing the appointment, and later annulling the vote results and ordering a new election process. The coalition decided to freeze the appointment process due to uncertainty about achieving the required majority in a new vote, alongside legal complexity. With the end of outgoing State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman's term, the State Comptroller institution remains without a sitting comptroller, and political assessments suggest the election process may be delayed until after the general elections.