The Likud party, through legal adviser Ilan Bombach, has petitioned the Central Elections Committee to prohibit the hosting of voters, arguing the measure is needed to prevent bribery and undue influence. The petition comes after the committee's legal advisor warned Tuesday that bribery of overseas voters is prohibited.
The Likud party, through its legal adviser Ilan Bombach, formally petitioned the Central Elections Committee on Wednesday to prohibit the hosting of voters, arguing the measure is necessary to prevent bribery and undue influence, according to a letter from Bombach.
The petition comes a day after the committee's legal advisor responded to a Likud inquiry regarding guidelines for overseas voters. As The Zioneer reported on Tuesday evening, the legal advisor stated explicitly that "an attempt to influence voting through bribery is prohibited" and that suspicions of a criminal offense should be referred to the competent authorities. The exchange was first reported by N12 political correspondent Daphna Liel, with the full text of the response later published.
The legal move follows a broader pattern of Likud challenging the neutrality of the Elections Committee. As The Zioneer reported on July 17, Likud has been attacking the appointments of committee officials, a campaign some experts said could lay the groundwork to contest the election results. The party's legal adviser, Ilan Bombach, has also represented Likud in other high-profile legal matters, including the defense of the appointment of Michael Ravilo as State Comptroller.
The petition does not specify whether the requested ban would apply to all candidates, parties, and third parties, or only to certain activities. The committee has yet to respond to the petition.
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