Israel’s president accepts certified election results in a blow to Netanyahu’s claim of vote fraud
NBC News • • general
Key Points:
- Israeli President Isaac Herzog has officially accepted the certified results of last week's parliamentary elections as legally binding and will begin consultations with party leaders to form a new government.
- This acceptance undermines Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attempts to challenge the election outcome, in which his religious-nationalist bloc lost its majority and Arab-led parties gained historic representation.
- The Israeli election commission found no evidence of fraud affecting the election results, despite ongoing investigations by the Shin Bet intelligence service into alleged foreign interference and substantial foreign funding.
- Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg emphasized the importance of public trust in elections, warning against unfounded doubts and affirming the election results' legality.
- Political negotiations are expected to continue, with Herzog likely choosing either Netanyahu or opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot as prime minister-designate; failure to form a government could lead to new elections early next year.
