Again rebuffing coalition, election czar says that by law, official vote results must be published tomorrow

Central Elections Committee (CEC) chief Noam Sohlberg says the official results of last week’s Knesset election will be published tomorrow, rebuffing another attempt by the outgoing coalition to postpone the move.

Representatives of parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc wrote to Sohlberg earlier today, asking to discuss suspected vote-buying by several Arab suspects at the CEC plenum, where the coalition has a majority, Hebrew media has reported.

Sohlberg, who is also the Supreme Court deputy president, writes back that tomorrow’s meeting will start at 9 a.m., earlier than scheduled, to allow for a more comprehensive discussion.

However, he adds, neither the plenum nor anyone else has the legal power to delay the publication of the official election results — which, according to Israel’s quasi-constitutional Basic Laws, must be published eight days after the election — or to demand evidence regarding alleged wrongdoing. He says any such claims will be heard by the courts in the future.