Likud Supreme Court Orders Recount of Double Envelopes, Potentially Changing Primary Results

The Likud party's Supreme Court unanimously ruled to annul the freeze on vote counting and ordered the opening of double envelopes from members in Jerusalem and Ashdod. These votes had been excluded from the voter registry due to a technical error in the party's system, despite the registration forms being properly submitted. The court accepted the petition by party member Shlomo Elboum, who argued that the party's management should not benefit from the administrative failure. The double-envelope votes will now be counted and added to the final tally before the official primary results are announced.

This decision could significantly impact the rankings of candidates on the Likud list for the Knesset, especially since the margins between some candidates are very narrow. Notably, the contest between MKs David Bitan and Boaz Bismuth, currently separated by only 16 votes, may be affected by the inclusion of these ballots. The ruling removes uncertainty about these votes and reintegrates them into the central counting process.

Likud officials must now complete the envelope openings, count the votes, and assess their effect on the final candidate list. Although the primary voting day has concluded, the internal party election drama continues, as the final list order remains unsettled until the complete results are published. This development was first reported by 'BeChadrei'.