Central Elections Committee Releases Full Results as Final Checks Continue

Israel’s Central Elections Committee released the full allocation of the 26th Knesset’s 120 seats overnight on October 30, after counting double-envelope ballots and completing initial checks of ordinary polling stations. The committee said turnout reached 77.9%, with 5,716,665 ballots counted. Further integrity checks remain underway. Likud received 27 seats, Yashar 21, Together 12 and the Joint List 11. The Democrats and Ra'am received eight each; Yisrael Beytenu, Otzma Yehudit and United Torah Judaism seven each; and Shas and Religious Zionism-Zehut six each. The count comprised 5,690,778 valid ballots and 25,887 invalid ones. The electoral threshold was 3.25% of valid votes. Acting committee director general Dean Livne also addressed an investigation initiated after the Shin Bet chief presented classified information to committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg. Livne said: “Reports published during the day are entirely unfounded.” He said the investigation did not concern a particular sector and would not affect the final results submitted to the president. Its findings will be presented to Sohlberg when completed. The committee said it was continuing to re-examine numerous polling stations, review submissions from the public and parties, and correct typing and transcription errors. The announced figures remain subject to minor corrections. The results are due to be submitted to the president on Wednesday, November 4.