Israel's Central Elections Committee on Wednesday morning announced that it found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the elections or changed their outcome.
The announcement follows an extensive review of the results of the elections for the 26th Knesset, including thousands of polling stations. All complaints received from political parties and members of the public were also examined.
The official results will be submitted to Israeli President Isaac Herzog later on Wednesday.
The review lasted six working days, from October 28 through Tuesday, November 3. During that period, officials examined the protocols of 9,069 polling stations, representing approximately 75% of the 12,018 regular polling stations used in the elections.
The review was significantly more extensive than the one conducted following the elections for the 25th Knesset. In those elections, 5,100 polling stations, representing 43.5% of the total, were examined. This time, the number of polling stations reviewed increased by approximately 78%.
The examinations went beyond reviewing the data entered into the Central Elections Committee's systems: At 350 polling stations, officials conducted an in-depth examination of voting materials and documentation, including, where necessary, ballot papers and voter registers.
One of the central focuses of the operation was investigating claims raised by political factions and candidate lists regarding results at various polling stations.
The Elections Committee received 2,452 inquiries from political factions and candidate lists concerning 1,350 polling stations. In addition, officials reviewed 1,239 complaints submitted by members of the public during and after Election Day concerning election integrity at 750 polling stations.
In addition to the complaints submitted by political parties and citizens, additional polling stations were selected for examination based on reports received during Election Day, including those submitted by election integrity inspectors stationed at every regular polling station.
The committee also employed statistical analyses designed to identify unusual voting patterns, random sampling, and additional criteria to determine which polling stations required examination.
Approximately 250 attorneys from the public service participated in the operation alongside Central Elections Committee employees. The review was conducted in seven examination rooms and a dedicated operations center, with teams working morning and evening shifts.
The Committee emphasized that the purpose of the examinations was to ensure that the recorded results accurately reflected the will of the voters, while addressing submitted complaints and making corrections wherever justified.
Central Elections Committee Chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg addressed the scope and findings of the operation, saying, "As part of the election integrity operation, an unprecedented number of polling stations underwent thorough examination."
"The scope and quality of the operation demonstrate the Central Elections Committee's strong commitment to reflecting the will of the voters as accurately as possible."
Acting Director General of the Central Elections Committee, attorney Dean Livne, emphasized, "Every inquiry received from political factions, candidate lists, and the public was examined individually. Where corrections were required, they were made based on the official records and voting materials."
Livne added that the examinations were intended to ensure public confidence in the election results and provide political parties and voters with a thorough and transparent review process.
"This is our responsibility to the voters and to the lists that participated in the elections: to thoroughly examine every claim, make corrections when necessary, and publish the findings transparently," he said.