Elections Committee: 480,000 Unsorted Ballots Equal 9 Knesset Seats
Israel's Central Elections Committee announced that 430,000 to 480,000 ballots remain unsorted, equivalent to 8-9 Knesset seats, as vote counting continues.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
The Israeli Central Elections Committee stated that the number of uncounted sealed envelopes is expected to range between 430,000 and 480,000, equivalent to 8 to 9 seats.
According to a statement by the committee, as reported by Israeli media on Wednesday evening: “Based on updated estimates, the number of outer envelopes (those not cast at polling stations, known as double envelopes) is expected to range between 430,000 and 480,000.”
The committee added: “Meanwhile, the process of receiving envelopes is ongoing, and not all outer envelopes have been received yet. Therefore, this figure remains an estimate and may be updated as the receipt process progresses.”
In a related development, Channel 15 reported that these envelopes announced by the committee contain votes equivalent to 8 to 9 seats in the Knesset.
The voting mechanism included the so-called “double envelope” system to enable citizens unable to vote at their registered polling stations to exercise their right to vote.
This includes, among others, soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces, security personnel, prisoners, and hospitalized patients, according to Israeli media.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, after 85 percent of votes were counted, excluding the sealed envelopes, preliminary results of the Israeli elections showed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp secured 53 seats, while the Change and Equilibrium bloc obtained 48 seats. Arab lists won 19 seats.
According to Israeli Channel 12, Netanyahu’s camp secured 53 seats, compared to 48 for the Change and Equilibrium bloc led by former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, while Arab parties won 19 seats.
As a result, no party has been able to secure the majority required to form a government, which stands at 61 seats out of 120 in the Knesset (parliament).
Vote counting continues amid discrepancies between partial results and voter sample polls released on Tuesday evening.
On Tuesday evening, the Central Elections Committee announced that voter turnout reached 77.7 percent, an increase of 7.1 percentage points compared to the 2022 elections, marking the highest turnout since 1999.
