Drama in Likud: The votes that could change the result at the last moment

Drama in Likud today (Thursday) surrounding the final election results: about 50 votes cast in double envelopes in Jerusalem and Ashdod have not yet been included in the count, and their inclusion could change the order of candidates at the bottom of the list. At this stage, Boaz Bismuth is ahead of David Bitan by only 16 votes, but according to existing data, if the disputed votes are approved, Bitan is expected to overtake him, reported Abraham Freind.

The story began on election day, when about 100 Likud members received permission to vote using double envelopes at polling stations in Jerusalem and Ashdod. The members did not appear in the system as having accumulated the required membership period for voting, but after it became clear that these were technical glitches, they were given permission to vote. In practice, out of about 100 members who received the permission, about 50 arrived at the polling stations and exercised their right.

However, these votes have not yet been entered into the total and final count, the results of which have not yet been officially published. The significance could be particularly dramatic in the tight race for the 14th and 15th spots on the list. According to the current count, Boaz Bismuth defeated David Bitan by a slim margin of only 16 votes. If the disputed envelopes are approved and included in the results, the picture is expected to change — and Bitan is expected to rise above Bismuth, who is considered a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Behind the group of members stands Yonatan Tal, who is close to Minister Miki Zohar and the Alboim family, which is identified with the "Temple Mount Faithful" group. However, now Tal himself is asking to prevent the counting of those votes. In a message he sent to Likud CEO David Sharan, Tal claimed that the names of the members who actually received permission to vote do not match the list of forms he had previously submitted to Likud. On the other hand, David Bitan rejects the claim and argues that Tal is lying. Following the dispute, the matter was referred to the Likud Court.

The president of the Likud Court, Adv. Michael Kleiner, ordered to freeze the counting of votes from the relevant polling stations at this stage. The freeze was conditional on Tal submitting an official affidavit by 7:00 PM this evening, in which he would confirm his claims and attach the list of members who, according to him, were supposed to receive the permission. If the affidavit is submitted on time, the votes will remain out of the count until the Likud Court holds a hearing on the matter before a panel of three judges. If it is ultimately decided that the votes are valid and can be counted, they may be enough to reverse the result between Bitan and Bismuth.