Israel Election Results: No Bloc Reaches Majority Amid Vote-Buying Probe

The Central Elections Committee has completed the count of double envelopes in the 26th Knesset elections, with preliminary results showing the Likud party rising to 27 mandates and Shas falling to six. However, neither the current coalition bloc nor the opposition bloc has secured the 61 mandates needed to form a government. The coalition bloc stands at 53 mandates, while the opposition bloc has 48. The Joint List holds 11 mandates and Ra'am an additional eight.

Updated figures, based on approximately 97.3% of votes counted, place the Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, as the largest party with 27 mandates. Yesh Atid, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is second with 21 mandates, followed by Tikva Hadasha, led by Naftali Bennett, with 12. The most significant shifts in the latest update were for Likud, which gained a mandate, and Shas, which lost one, dropping to six mandates. This is a considerable decrease from the 2022 elections when Shas won 11 mandates. Meanwhile, Yahadut HaTorah has overtaken Shas in mandate count.

Amidst the election results, a widening investigation into alleged vote-buying and foreign interference, dubbed "Ra'amGate," is underway. Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, which involves allegations of using funds, reportedly from enemy states, to purchase votes in the Arab community through cash and fuel vouchers. The investigation is being conducted by the Lahav and Southern District units of the police. The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, has requested the Shin Bet, and potentially the Mossad, to investigate the allegations of foreign funding and interference.

Despite the ongoing investigation, the Central Elections Committee issued a statement clarifying that it has no information indicating systematic damage to the integrity of the elections and that the process was conducted lawfully. However, the committee acknowledged that sensitive intelligence information presented to Justice Solberg raised suspicions requiring in-depth examination. Ra'am party chairman Mansour Abbas has vehemently denied any connection to the affair and pledged full cooperation with law enforcement. The Likud party has claimed to have received hundreds of complaints on election day regarding vote-buying, threats, fraud, and fuel voucher distribution, demanding a thorough investigation.