Key Knesset Candidates on the Bubble as Votes Are Counted
Translated & summarized from Globes by baba
Several prominent candidates are on the verge of entering or missing the Knesset as final votes are tallied and mandates are distributed. Eli Goldschmidt and Erez Tadmor are in close contention for Likud, while Ram Ben Barak is in the last seat for the "B" party. Moshe Redman Abutbul could enter the Knesset for the Democrats, and Hanamal Dorfman holds the final Otzma Yehudit seat, with Tzachi Yitzhak Eliyahu behind him. Shas is also seeing a close race between Moshe Abutbul and Uriel Busso.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Knesset candidates like Eli Goldschmidt and Erez Tadmor are on the bubble as final votes are counted.
- Ram Ben Barak, a former Mossad official, is in the last entering seat for the "B" party.
- Moshe Redman Abutbul, a protest leader, could enter the Knesset if the Democrats gain a mandate.
- Hanamal Dorfman holds the final Otzma Yehudit seat, with activist Tzachi Yitzhak Eliyahu behind him.
- Shas faces an internal battle with Moshe Abutbul currently in and Uriel Busso out.
As the counting of regular ballots concludes, the focus shifts to double envelopes, surplus agreements, and mandate distribution, determining which candidates will enter the Knesset. A single mandate shift could bring veteran politicians back, introduce prominent public activists for the first time, or leave intriguing candidates just outside the parliament.
In the Likud party, Eli Goldschmidt, a former Knesset member and committee chair who previously served in the Labor party, is on the borderline. After over two decades out of politics and a significant shift in his views following October 7th, he is currently positioned to enter the Knesset. Immediately behind him is Erez Tadmor, a co-founder of 'Im Tirtzu,' columnist, and former speechwriter for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His entry would mark a notable transition from commentator to parliamentarian.
For the "B" party, Ram Ben Barak, a former Deputy Director of the Mossad and ex-chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, is in the last entering seat. A loss of a mandate would remove a seasoned security figure from the faction at a time when security is expected to be a central issue in the next Knesset.
Among the Democrats, Michal Rozin, who previously served in the Knesset for Meretz and championed causes like women's rights and civil equality, is currently inside. The next candidate, Moshe Redman Abutbul, a high-tech entrepreneur and a leader of the anti-judicial overhaul protests, could become a Knesset member with an additional mandate for the party.
In Otzma Yehudit, Hanamal Dorfman, former chief of staff to Itamar Ben-Gvir, holds the seventh and final mandate for now. Directly behind him is Tzachi Yitzhak Eliyahu, a party activist known for sharp online statements.
Shas faces a significant internal battle, with former Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul currently in, while former Health Minister Uriel Busso is out. The coming hours will reveal which of these names will survive the final mandate shifts and which will remain thousands of votes short of entering the Knesset.
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