Haredi Party Chairman Admits Election Failure, Cites Fear of Right-Wing Bloc Collapse

Moti Lightner, chairman of the Haredi Ha'am party, has broken his silence following his party's significant electoral failure, securing only about 10,000 votes, far below expectations. In his first interview, Lightner admitted, "Yes, I failed here. I thought we would pass 20,000 votes, and in that regard, we failed completely." He attributed the poor showing primarily to voters' fear of the right-wing bloc's potential collapse and the risk of not passing the electoral threshold. Lightner stated that 80% to 90% of their target audience feared wasting their vote and opted to support parties like Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Likud, or return to traditional Haredi parties.

Lightner also addressed criticism regarding his campaign's tone, which shifted from a positive message to direct attacks on established Haredi parties. He acknowledged a "jarring note" in the campaign's music that could have been avoided, admitting, "We erred and made mistakes," but insisted it wasn't the core issue. He shared a personal anecdote from his own synagogue in Beit Shemesh, where fewer than five families out of sixty voted for him, with congregants citing concerns for the right-wing bloc's fate.

Responding to the calculation that each vote cost the party approximately 1,300 shekels (13 million shekels spent for 10,000 votes), Lightner defended the campaign's private funding. He contrasted this with the 350 million shekels in taxpayer money spent by the established Shas and United Torah Judaism parties for their elected officials. Lightner asserted that his party raised 13 million shekels from private donors, incurred no debt, and brought the voice of working Haredim to the forefront.

Despite the electoral setback, Lightner believes the party achieved a "consciousness victory" within the Haredi community, noting a shift in discourse with prominent rabbis now listening to working Haredim. He affirmed the party's long-term commitment, planning to run in local elections in all Haredi cities, potentially gaining three mandates in Beit Shemesh. In the event of new national elections, the party aims to seek representation within Shas and United Torah Judaism, or consider running with other right-wing parties if blocked. Lightner concluded, "In the test of results, to bring in a Knesset member, I failed, but the problems still exist and we are here for the long term."