Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg announced today that he \"demands\" a complete cancellation of the results of the contested Labor party election that was held over two months ago. Burg won the election by a small margin over Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, but the latter, based on very suspicious results in the Druze and other sectors, claimed that the final tally was inaccurate and even fraudulent. Only last night did the issue appear to be nearing a resolution, when the party\'s Law Committee recommended holding new elections to determine the party\'s leader and Prime Ministerial candidate. Ben-Eliezer later announced, however, that he also agrees to hold new elections - but only in the contested polling stations.
Burg had some sharp words for Ben-Eliezer\'s supporters who, he said, made “evil and false” charges against him and against the Druze voters of the Labor party, in order to “steal the election” from Burg. \"If I have to choose between my bad feeling of having my victory stolen from me, or what is good for the party, I choose the good of the party,\" he said. Ben-Eliezer\'s camp accused Burg supporters in the Druze sector, where Burg supposedly won 80% of the vote, of rigging the results. Party Secretary Ra’anan Cohen said that the new election would be held either a year before the scheduled national election, or, if the government is toppled in the meantime, a month after the Knesset government-toppling vote is held.
Burg had some sharp words for Ben-Eliezer\'s supporters who, he said, made “evil and false” charges against him and against the Druze voters of the Labor party, in order to “steal the election” from Burg. \"If I have to choose between my bad feeling of having my victory stolen from me, or what is good for the party, I choose the good of the party,\" he said. Ben-Eliezer\'s camp accused Burg supporters in the Druze sector, where Burg supposedly won 80% of the vote, of rigging the results. Party Secretary Ra’anan Cohen said that the new election would be held either a year before the scheduled national election, or, if the government is toppled in the meantime, a month after the Knesset government-toppling vote is held.