Elections panel says it is reviewing all fraud allegations after Likud demand for probe of Arab parties

The Central Elections Committee says it is reviewing allegations of election fraud and irregularities raised by all parties, following a demand by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud for an investigation into alleged widespread fraud in yesterday’s election.

“The Central Elections Committee has launched its election-integrity monitoring operation, as it does in every election, as part of which all inquiries from parties concerning election integrity or alleged errors in the results will be examined,” the committee says in a statement.

Likud had claimed the election was “stolen” by Arab parties.

The CEC notes that its acting director general, Dean Livne, informed all electoral lists of the procedure on October 25, two days before the election, inviting them to submit details of polling stations whose results they believe warrant examination.

“The committee received Likud’s request and is reviewing it as part of this operation,” the CEC says.

The allegations follow unprecedented turnout among Arab voters, with the Arab-led parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, projected to reach a historic combined high of 19 seats.

The accusations continue Likud’s efforts throughout the campaign to delegitimize Arab political parties, whose support could prove decisive in forming an opposition government. While Netanyahu’s bloc is projected to fall short of a majority despite Likud emerging as the largest party, the Jewish-led opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot could still form a government with Arab support. But some opposition parties have rejected that idea, and it is a prospect Likud has consistently sought to discredit.