Tzipi Hotovely
Tzipi HotovelyFlash 90

The saga around the 20th spot on the Likud Knesset list continues and, the Israel Hayom newspaper is reporting that MK Tzipi Hotovely was placed in that spot and not Avi Dichter.

After a close race, it was determined early last week that Dichter defeated Hotovely for the 20th spot by only 55 votes

Hotovely later filed an official appeal with the Likud’s election commission over the results, arguing that some ballots need to be invalidated due to faults and that some votes in her favor were not counted in other ballots.

Dichter subsequently filed an appeal of his own, charging that during the elections there were "criminal actions, fake envelopes, disappearing ballot boxes, forgery, and abuse of status by powerful people to force citizens to vote as they please."

According to Israel Hayom’s political correspondent Mati Tuchfeld, the ballots in question were checked and the latest count finds that it was, in fact, Hotovely who received the 20th spot on the list, narrowly beating Dichter by 11 to 19 votes.

The result of the latest recount means that the Likud’s election commission is set to announce that Hotovely was placed in the number 20 spot while Dichter will slide to the currently unrealistic 26th spot.

The saga will likely not end there, notes Tuchfeld, because Dichter is expected to appeal the updated results and ask for yet another recount, citing the small difference in the number of votes.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu can end the mutual appeals by placing either Hotovely or Dichter in the number 23 spot on the list which is reserved for a candidate of his choice.