Have The Final Election Results Been Announced?

The Central Elections Committee (CEC) last week announced the almost final election results regarding last week’s election for 22nd Knesset. With 99.8% of the votes tabulated, the Blue & White party emerged the largest party in Israel with 33 seats; while Likud only received 31 seats.

The joint Arab list has 13 seats, Shas 9, Yahadut Hatorah 8, Yisrael Beitenu 8, Yemina 7, Labor/Gesher 6 and the Democratic Camp/Meretz with 5. Otzma Yehudit did not meet the minimum electoral threshold, and therefore, will not be represented in the 22nd Knesset. The left-wing/centrist bloc is 57 and the right-wing/chareidi bloc 55.

CEC officials have announced that the final results of the election following the final tabulation and several detailed reviews of the process and vote-counting process. The official announcement is expected on Wednesday, September 25, 2019.

It was also announced that these results will not include the votes of 14 polling stations, which are the subject of an in-depth probe by the CEC after learning there were incidents in those polling stations signaling a violation of voting regulations, demanding the probe.

CEC official report the issues with the 14 polling stations in question were documented by the roving voting inspectors, the officials who traveled to polling stations, armed with state authority and bodycams to provide documentation and evidence.

This however does not include the voting results from polling station 0.9, in Furdis, where officials learned the attempt to compromise the election was carried out by adding voting ballot slips that were not relevant to the election. After consulting on the matter, it was decided the polling station’s votes would not be counted and included in the mainstream total but would be addressed by the CEC as a separate entity pending a probe.

CEC officials add that 2000 polling stations were checked during Election Day and problems were detected and recorded by the inspectors.

According to the CEC, there were 6,394,030 registered votes and 4,458,167 people actually exercised their right/obligation to vote. 27,601 votes were disqualified, and 4,430,556 votes were included.