Election Committee Rejects Bid to Ban 'October Council' Rally Broadcast
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
The Central Elections Committee rejected a Likud petition to ban the live broadcast of the "October Council" rally on Saturday night. The committee chairman cited a lack of proof that the rally would be broadcast live and insufficient evidence for intervention. This decision comes after a similar ban on Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech due to election propaganda concerns.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Central Elections Committee rejected Likud's petition to ban rally broadcast.
- The rally in question is organized by "October Council" and scheduled for Saturday night.
- Likud cited concerns about election propaganda, prohibited within 60 days of elections.
- The committee chairman stated insufficient evidence was provided for the ban.
- A similar ban was recently placed on Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech.
The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, on Friday rejected a Likud party petition to prohibit television channels from broadcasting a "October Council" rally live. The Likud had argued that the rally, scheduled for Saturday night, would feature election propaganda, which is forbidden on television within 60 days of an election under Section 5 of the Election Law (Propaganda Methods).
The Likud requested that the broadcast be banned or at least delayed to allow for review of any potential campaign messaging. This request followed a similar incident earlier in the week where the Attorney General prohibited the live broadcast of Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech at a military course graduation ceremony due to concerns about electioneering.
However, Judge Sohlberg dismissed the Likud's petition, stating that the party had not proven that the rally was intended to be broadcast live. He also noted that insufficient evidence was presented to warrant intervention in the editorial discretion of television program producers. Sohlberg did emphasize that broadcasters are required to exercise their judgment and adhere to the law, particularly when candidates in an election are expected to speak.
Mentioned
