Haredi Shift? United Torah Judaism Edges Ahead of Shas in Knesset Race
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Partial results from Israel's 26th Knesset elections show United Torah Judaism leading Shas in vote count, though both parties are projected to win seven seats. UTJ has secured 225,949 votes compared to Shas's 207,694. This potential shift in the ultra-Orthodox political landscape depends on the final tally of hundreds of thousands of remaining votes.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- United Torah Judaism leads Shas in vote count in Israel's 26th Knesset elections.
- Both parties are currently projected to win seven seats each based on partial results.
- UTJ has a lead of 18,255 votes over Shas with over 60% of ballots counted.
- The final results could signify a shift in power within the ultra-Orthodox political sector.
- Hundreds of thousands of votes, including from soldiers and diplomats, are still uncounted.
Partial results from Israel's 26th Knesset elections indicate a potential shift in the balance of power within the ultra-Orthodox political sector. Both United Torah Judaism (UTJ) and Shas are currently projected to win seven seats each. However, UTJ has garnered a lead in the vote count, with 225,949 votes compared to Shas's 207,694, a difference of 18,255 votes.
This lead, if maintained after all votes are tallied, could hold significant political and symbolic weight. Historically, Shas has held the position of the largest ultra-Orthodox party in recent election cycles. The current vote distribution suggests a potential change in this long-standing dynamic.
Despite UTJ's lead in votes, the seat allocation remains tied at seven seats apiece based on the interim results, which cover over 60% of the ballots counted. One possible explanation for UTJ's stronger showing is a higher voter turnout in its traditional Ashkenazi and Hasidic strongholds.
The final outcome is still uncertain, as hundreds of thousands of votes, including those from double envelopes cast by soldiers, diplomats, hospital patients, and other eligible voters, are yet to be counted. These outstanding ballots could alter the seat distribution and potentially impact the vote margin between the two major Haredi parties.
