Amir Ohana Rejects Repeat Vote on State Comptroller Election

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said on Sunday that the Knesset will not hold a repeat vote for electing the state comptroller, rejecting the High Court of Justice's proposal for a new ballot. Ohana responded, "The Knesset has already had its say," and refused the court's suggested remedy.

The dispute stems from concerns raised in the High Court hearing over the secrecy of the vote and possible violations during the election. Justice Noam Sohlberg said the court was considering issuing a conditional order on the secrecy issue, but not on the conflict of interest question, and suggested a procedural remedy, holding the vote again in a clean and proper process. He said responses would be awaited until Sunday.

The practical result is that the High Court is now expected to make the next move, likely by issuing a conditional order. The article says this could lead to the court ordering a fresh vote on the comptroller election, which would freeze the current result.

Constitutional law expert Prof. Yaniv Roznai of Reichman University said Ohana is pushing Israel toward a constitutional crisis. He argued that the secrecy breach violated the Basic Law and the State Comptroller Law, and said that even if Ohana had agreed, it was not clear he had the authority to call another vote. Roznai said refusal would probably force the High Court to order a repeat vote, and if that is also rejected, it could trigger a constitutional crisis and likely suspend the election of attorney Michael Ravillo.