From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Election panel ratifies results; Likud and Shas abstain
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
The Central Elections Committee presidium votes to approve last week’s election results, according to a statement.
Yesh Atid and Blue and White representatives vote in favor, while Likud and Shas representatives abstain, with chair Justice Noam Sohlberg casting the final vote in favor of ratifying the results.
The presidium is made up of five members — Sohlberg and four representatives representing the four largest factions. The results will now go to a wider committee with representatives from smaller parties also, but those discussions are largely symbolic after the presidium vote.
The election results will be submitted to President Isaac Herzog later today, following which he will begin consultations with party heads on who they back for prime minister. Herzog is expected to grant a mandate to form the next government to the individual who received the most nods from the party chiefs.
The vote comes after Likud and other outgoing coalition parties sought to delay approval over unsubstantiated allegations of election fraud. Sohlberg rejected their request, writing that the committee has no authority to delay certification of the results based on information about investigations or law enforcement concerns.
Earlier today, the committee reiterated that no irregularities indicating that the vote was compromised or the results altered were found.
The Times of Israel Community.