Deputy Foreign Minister Says Lawmakers Were Told to Film Their Ballots in State Comptroller Vote

Deputy Foreign Minister Sharon Haskel acknowledged that coalition lawmakers were instructed to enter the voting booth and record themselves during the Knesset’s election for state comptroller. In an interview at a Shabatarbut event in Kiryat Ono on Friday, she said lawmakers were asked to film their ballots to prove how they voted.

Haskel called the practice “shameful” and said it resembled behavior in “undemocratic regimes.” When asked whether there had been an instruction, she replied, “Yes.” She added that the move “lowers the status of the Knesset” and “diminishes the role of Knesset members,” saying it should not have happened.

She also said the matter could be taken to court and predicted a repeat vote if the evidence reaches the judiciary. “I think we will need to go to a revote,” she said, adding that “there is room to discuss this in court.”

The controversy follows the Knesset’s election for Comptroller, in which attorney Michael Ravilo, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s lawyer, beat retired Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron after two rounds. In the second round, coalition lawmakers were seen filming themselves voting for Ravilo, prompting opposition anger, a ruckus in the plenum, a pause for consultations, and a decision to rerun the election. Opposition lawmakers have demanded a criminal probe and some have petitioned the High Court of Justice, alleging the vote was tainted.