Winter Claims Right-Wing Campaign Cost Him Knesset Seat
Translated & summarized from Makor Rishon by baba
Ofer Winter's party, Am Israel, is projected to miss the Knesset threshold based on exit polls, disappointing supporters. Winter vowed to continue his political path, blaming a "despicable campaign" from other right-wing parties for the failure. He insisted his movement is "here to stay" and called for a broad government, while acknowledging the need to await final results.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ofer Winter's party failed to cross the electoral threshold according to exit polls.
- Winter blamed a "despicable campaign" from other right-wing parties for the failure.
- He vowed to continue his political career and keep his party active.
- Winter called for the formation of a broad government.
- Final election results are expected in the coming days.
Ofer Winter's party, Am Israel, appears to have failed to cross the electoral threshold in the recent Knesset elections, according to preliminary exit polls from Israeli news channels. Despite the disappointment, Winter declared his intention to remain in politics and continue leading the party, which he described as a movement "here to stay."
Speaking to supporters at the party's Tel Aviv headquarters, Winter criticized what he termed a "despicable and ugly campaign" waged against his party by other right-wing factions. He asserted that without this campaign, his party would have secured a majority. Winter also refuted claims that his party harmed the right-wing bloc, stating that most of his voters were not planning to support current coalition parties anyway, preferring to vote for the opposition or abstain.
Winter emphasized that Am Israel is committed to the long term, aiming to provide an alternative, respectful, and unifying leadership. He urged for the formation of a broad government to address the nation's important issues, cautioning against a narrow coalition or one reliant on Arab parties. Winter thanked his party activists for their efforts, expressing pride in their team.
The exit polls suggest Winter's party fell short of the increased electoral threshold, which is reportedly the highest ever due to unusually high voter turnout. While Winter had expressed optimism earlier in the day that his party would succeed, the initial results indicate otherwise. The final results are expected in the coming days.
