Israeli President Isaac Herzog received the official results of last week's parliamentary elections on Wednesday. The ceremony took place as the Central Elections Committee rejected allegations of fraud raised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and right-wing parties.
During the ceremony, Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg stated, "Voices are seeking to undermine the election results. This is a real danger." Sohlberg noted that while investigations into certain aspects of the electoral process remain ongoing, the committee warned against questioning the legitimacy of votes cast by Arab citizens. "We must not cast doubt on voting in Arab society, just as we must not cast doubt on any other group in Israeli society," Sohlberg said, stressing that the results are "binding on all of us."
Earlier on Wednesday, the committee approved the final results with 15 members voting in favor, two against, and 14 abstaining. This approval followed an announcement by the committee that it found no evidence that the integrity of the parliamentary elections had been compromised. Netanyahu and right-wing parties in his bloc had previously alleged voting manipulation and fraud within Israel's Arab community.
Following the results, Herzog is scheduled to begin consultations on Wednesday afternoon with representatives of elected parties to determine which lawmaker will be tasked with forming the next government. During these consultations, parliamentary parties are expected to recommend candidates for prime minister. Herzog will then decide which candidate has the best chance of assembling a governing coalition and grant that lawmaker the mandate to form a government.
Netanyahu is expected to secure 46 recommendations from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and Religious Zionism. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party and predominantly Arab parties, including the Joint List and Ra'am, have not yet announced whom they will recommend, according to Ynet.
