Controversy has erupted in Israel since the initial election results. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Arab parties of rigging and stealing the election. The party claims that the Arab parties adopted wrong ways to get more votes. The dispute comes at a time when Arab parties can play an important role in forming the government.

Israel’s parliament is called the Knesset. It has total 120 seats. A party or coalition needs at least 61 seats to form the government. Preliminary results did not show Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition a majority. After counting more than 89% of the votes, his coalition is expected to get 53 seats. His main rival Gadi Eisenkot’s coalition is likely to get 48 seats. At the same time, Arab parties are seen getting a total of 19 seats.

What accusations did Netanyahu make against the Arab parties?

Netanyahu accused Arab parties, particularly the Ram Party, of stealing the election. He appealed to his supporters to vote in large numbers. He said, don’t barbecue, don’t go to the beach, go to the polling booth and vote Likud.

On Wednesday, the Likud party issued a statement saying that Arab parties had rigged the election. The party also accused these parties of supporting terrorism and trying to destroy the Jewish state. He claimed that corruption, threats, violence, lies and banned software were used to induce voters to vote. The party said it was handing over witness statements and evidence to authorities. His allegations include stealing thousands of cash-filled envelopes, Ram Party ballot papers and threatening polling booth staff.

Three arrested on suspicion of vote buying

Acting Director General of the Central Election Commission, Dean Liwan, described the incident as unusual. He said that even before polling began, the police caught some people trying to give money to voters. The suspects were nabbed near their homes and the matter is under investigation.

Police said three people have been arrested on suspicion of buying votes for the Ram Party. Envelopes and more than 24 thousand Israeli shekels, or about $7,900 in cash, were recovered from them. However, investigations into allegations of electoral malpractice and vote buying are still ongoing.