Sound Politics: Israeli Election Results

March 29, 2006

Israeli Election Results

Israelis went to the polls yesterday and gave a clear, though smaller than expected mandate to acting Prime Minster Ehud Olmert

According to this article in Hebrew daily Ha'aretz, Olmert's Kadima party won 28 seats in the Knesset, the Labor Party 20 seats and the Likud(former party of Ariel Sharon and Olmert), 11 seats.

Curiously, election officials also found 15 votes for Christine Gregoire.

Posted by Stefan Sharkansky at March 29, 2006 01:19 PM | Email This

Comments

1. Apparently Israel isn't very lenient on overseas voting by its citizens. It seems the only Israeli citizens who can cast votes outside the country are those working for the Israeli government, and that they have to do so at an Israeli embassy or consulate.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/698811.html

If Israel allowed every one of its citizens outside the country to vote (in the same manner that US law allows our citizens to vote), this would be hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of extra voters.

Israeli law allows any Jewish person to immediately become a citizen under their Law of Return. I heard this also applies to anyone who had at least one Jewish grandparent, even if the prospective immigrant does not personally consider themself to be Jewish.

Posted by: Richard Pope on March 29, 2006 01:31 PM

2. At least in Israel we have evidence that the dead can rise again, so may have an explanation for voting.

Posted by: Darth Voter on March 29, 2006 02:28 PM

3. Stefan. Is it too late for Dean Logan to get those Israeli votes for Gregoire in to the count? Makes her win look a little more legit you know. But please check the envelopes first. It will be interesting to see how many were cast by a R. Corrie, or Dustin Corrie or Rachel O'Coilan, etc.

Posted by: Jeff B. on March 29, 2006 02:30 PM

4. Wow!
Israel's elections are even worse than ours!

The media declared Olmert and the Kadima party winners - 3 days BEFORE the election took place!
Then - they declared Olmert and the Kadima party winners - based soley on "exit poll" results...(We know how stupid that is...)

Now..the media is once again declaring Olmert and the Kadima party victor...and the ballot counting is still going on!

Why bother to vote at all? It's obvious that the liberal Media and the powers-that-be have already chosen the winners!

Kadima (who? ) and the Labor parties are the socialist/liberal parties in Israel.....That equates to our liberal Democrat party here in the US...It's no suprise that there would be media manipulation and possibly ballot manipulation too.

Posted by: Deborah on March 29, 2006 02:33 PM

5. Ukraine last Sunday also had elections, reported to be clean.

Posted by: A Watchdog on March 29, 2006 02:50 PM

6. YA know, I posed that possibility with Mrs. G. in person, in early February, based on comments I found on this site. She didn't seem at all amused. And here I thought she had a sense of humor.

Posted by: JT on March 29, 2006 03:14 PM

7. Stefan:

Nice to see you are branching out into international politics. Your local topics have gotten very, very stale, as indicated by the dearth of comments.

Now if we could just focus in on our foreign policy and the truly significant political issues of our time...

Posted by: Unkl Witz on March 29, 2006 10:24 PM

8. After reading your column, I decided to separate the recycle from my trash and I found another 8 votes for Ms. Gregoire. Should I send them to Dean Logan. Also, I understand he is paying $75 per vote. Is that deal still available?

Posted by: Brian on March 30, 2006 02:14 PM