Finance Minister Smotrich Condemns Supreme Court Over State Comptroller Election Ruling

Israeli Finance Minister and Religious Zionism Party leader Bezalel Smotrich sharply criticized the Supreme Court's unanimous decision to annul the election of attorney Michael Regev as State Comptroller. The court ruled that the Knesset must hold a new vote due to breaches in the secrecy of the ballot, as some lawmakers were recorded revealing their votes behind the voting curtain.

Smotrich described the ruling as a targeted campaign by the Supreme Court against the national camp, accusing it of undermining democracy, the Knesset, and the government, and of sowing chaos and pushing the country toward a constitutional crisis and civil strife. He called for completing the judicial reform as the only response to what he termed the court's tyranny, emphasizing the need for a decisive electoral victory and reform implementation.

The ruling was authored by Justice Noam Solberg with the agreement of Justice Yitzhak Amit and others, who determined that the violation of voting secrecy was a significant defect justifying the annulment and repetition of the election. The decision follows petitions challenging the election process of Regev, citing the breach of confidentiality as a fundamental flaw.