Likud Claims Election Stolen, Demands Immediate Investigation

The Likud party has issued a strong statement alleging that the recent elections were "stolen" by Arab parties through severe criminal offenses. The party claims these offenses include bribery, threats, violence, fraud, and the use of prohibited software to incite voters. Likud has submitted hundreds of testimonies and evidence to the police, Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee to support these claims.

According to Likud, the evidence includes thousands of envelopes with Ra'am party ballots, documentation of threats and violence against polling station committee members, and irregularities such as multiple voters behind the curtain and double voting. The party is demanding an immediate and thorough investigation by the police and Shin Bet into what they are calling "election theft" and urges the Central Elections Committee to address these criminal offenses, which they believe have severely compromised the integrity and results of the elections.

In response to these allegations, several ministers and Knesset members have sent a letter to the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, and the Head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, demanding an urgent investigation into Ra'am for suspected election bribery. This appeal follows the arrest of three Negev residents associated with the party, who were allegedly found with tens of thousands of shekels in cash.

Meanwhile, the Central Elections Committee reported receiving approximately 10,000 reports on election day concerning suspected violations of election integrity for the 26th Knesset. The most common issues reported were photographing inside the polling station (22%) and suspected interference with voting (13%). About 10% of the reports (1,000) involved spoiled ballots. An former Shin Bet official warned that high voter turnout could make oversight difficult and enable irregularities, noting reports of around 700 complaints from inspectors and observers.