Likud Campaign Targets Election Committee Over Voter Mobilization and Polling Stations in Elder Care
The Likud party, through attorney Ilan Bombach, has petitioned Israel's Central Elections Committee demanding clear guidelines banning illegal incentives to influence voters arriving from abroad. This move aligns with broader coalition efforts perceived as attempts to suppress turnout among demographics seen as opposing the government. Among these efforts is the recent decision not to place polling stations in nursing homes and assisted living facilities, a practice maintained since the COVID-19 pandemic to facilitate elderly voting access. The coalition reportedly also considered designating the Ra'am party as a terrorist organization and continues a campaign to delegitimize the election committee and its officials.
Likud has identified tens of thousands of Israelis abroad, many liberal and opposed to the government's judicial overhaul, who view the upcoming elections as critical for Israel's future. Social media posts promoting free hosting or transportation for these voters have been flagged by Likud, which views such assistance as improper inducement. Bombach requested that Central Elections Committee Chair Judge Noam Solberg issue explicit prohibitions against such support. The committee's legal advisor, attorney Yifat Siminovsky, responded that any suspicions of criminal offenses should be reported to the police and that formal petitions should be filed if a directive is needed. Bombach rejected this as inadequate, indicating ongoing disputes.
Legal experts warn these moves reflect coalition fears of left-leaning voters flying in to vote and efforts to intimidate and delegitimize election authorities. The coalition's refusal to extend special polling stations in elder care facilities, despite the election committee's recommendation, has sparked petitions to Israel's Supreme Court, citing political motives to suppress votes from populations favoring opposition parties like Avigdor Lieberman's. The coalition's campaign against the election committee intensified with attacks on key figures such as Siminovsky and acting CEO Din Livneh, who faced accusations of political bias.
Recently, Likud MK Boaz Bismuth publicly challenged Judge Solberg in a Knesset hearing over controversial appointments within the election committee. Solberg defended his team's professionalism but has himself been targeted by coalition members questioning his impartiality. Analysts see this delegitimization campaign as a threefold strategy: to prepare grounds for rejecting election results, to intimidate committee officials, and to discredit any unfavorable decisions. Comparisons have been drawn to violent post-election incidents abroad, such as the US Capitol riot and Brazil's congressional storming, raising concerns about potential unrest in Israel. The campaign against the election committee echoes previous attacks on Israel's Attorney General and Supreme Court President, aiming to erode public trust in democratic institutions.
