Small Parties Cost Right-Wing Bloc Nearly 200,000 Votes
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
An estimated 200,000 votes for parties failing to pass the electoral threshold are expected to be lost to the right-wing and religious bloc in Israel's 26th Knesset elections. Avraham Yustman, representing Agudath Yisrael on the Central Elections Committee, stated that parties like Ofer Vinter's 'Amcha Israel' are "burning" votes. While United Torah Judaism anticipates a record 320,000 votes, the high turnout may prevent an eighth seat, and Shas is projected to receive fewer votes than in the previous election. Final results await the completion of ballot counting.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Nearly 200,000 votes for small parties are expected to be lost to the right-wing bloc.
- Ofer Vinter's 'Amcha Israel' party is projected to receive around 90,000 votes.
- United Torah Judaism anticipates a record 320,000 votes but may not gain an eighth seat.
- Shas is expected to receive approximately 320,000 votes, a decrease from the last election.
- Final election results depend on the completion of ballot counting by the Central Elections Committee.
An estimated 200,000 votes cast for smaller parties that failed to pass the electoral threshold will not translate into Knesset seats, potentially impacting the final political balance, according to Avraham Yustman, representative of Agudath Yisrael on the Central Elections Committee. Yustman stated in an interview with Kol Hai Radio that parties like Ofer Vinter's 'Amcha Israel' and others are "burning" a significant number of votes.
While the final count of double envelopes is still underway for the 26th Knesset elections, Yustman's assessment suggests this loss of votes is a heavy political price for the right-wing and religious bloc. He specifically noted that Ofer Vinter's party is expected to garner around 90,000 votes, while alternative Haredi lists like Moti Lightner's 'Hatzibur Ha'charedi' and 'Tzeva Shachor' received significantly fewer, approximately 8,000 and 10,000 votes respectively.
In contrast, the Haredi party United Torah Judaism is projected to set a record with approximately 320,000 votes, an increase of about 40,000 from the previous election. However, Yustman explained that the high national voter turnout has raised the threshold for a Knesset seat, preventing the party from securing an eighth mandate and keeping MK Yaakov Tessler out of parliament. Shas, another Haredi party, is expected to see a decline, finishing with around 320,000 votes, down from nearly 400,000 in the last election, also resulting in approximately seven seats.
Yustman emphasized that these figures are preliminary estimates based on advanced counting stages and that the final, definitive results will only be determined after the Central Elections Committee completes its processing of all ballots.
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