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Voting irregularities in Likud primary
Photo: Ido Erez

Voting irregularities spark recount of Likud primary

After Ynet discovers massive irregularities possibly indicating voter fraud in internal party vote, Likud decides to hold manual recount; Likud MK who failed to make cut claims 'people voted for me, but votes weren’t counted.'

Ynet has revealed a number of major voting irregularities in the Likud primary, held last week throughout the country to select the party list ahead of Israel's March national elections. In a number of cases, ballots were not counted and other ballots were counted twice.

 

 

The reports have prompted some Likud party members and Knesset members to demand a manual recount of the votes in at least 15 ballots.

 

Recount expected in at least 15 ballots (Photo: Ido Erez)
Recount expected in at least 15 ballots (Photo: Ido Erez)

 

Meanwhile, head of a Likud party branch in the Arab village of Rameh said "something here stinks." According to Sahar Ismail, head of the local Likud branch, told Ynet that after closing his ballot and transferring the votes to the party's central committee, the party stopped answering his calls and he has yet to get the final results.

 

Sahar Ismail, head of Rameh's Likud branch
Sahar Ismail, head of Rameh's Likud branch

 

"This has never happened before - we have to hold a revote. I have yet to see the final results and no one has any answers. Where are the voting tickets? Where are the election results from Rameh?

 

"No one is talking to us. This seems like a direct attempt to damage the democratic process. It seems someone is afraid of the real results," Ismail said.

Manual vote count in Tel Aviv (Photo: Ido Erez)
Manual vote count in Tel Aviv (Photo: Ido Erez)

Meanwhile, Deputy Transportation Minister MK Tzipi Hotovely, who was dealt a stinging blow in the primary and is now unlikely to serve as an MK after she dropped to the party's 26th spot, is demanding a recount in almost 15 of the party's ballots.

 

She claimed that over 400 votes in her favor from ballots in West Bank region settlements have disappeared, as well as a number of votes from other ballots, and said the new vote would put her ahead of former Shin Bet head Avi Dichter, who reached the 20th spot.

 

 

Among the irregularities Ynet found, for example, was the ballot in the Druze village of Beit Jann. Less than 200 votes were cast at the ballot, but in the final tally, MK Tzahi Hanegbi received over 250 votes from the local constituency. It was possible the final count is a result of a human error.

 

In southern city of Netivot, a Likud stronghold, there were seven different ballots, though the votes for Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz were counted from only six.

 

Another example was from Tel Aviv: In the final tally, in addition to the different Tel Aviv ballots, another ballot was registered –  the Tel Aviv Computer Ballot. The results from the presumably digital voting station perfectly mirrored the results of the entire city, thus effectively doubling the amount of votes from the city.

 

In response, the Likud said the results published Thursday night were not final. "The official results will only be made public after each ballot is verified. The voting took place in an organized fashion and without incident. If there are discrepancies in specific ballots then they are isolated cases which will be dealt with thoroughly."

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.04.15, 21:41
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