Israeli president receives official election results as committee rejects fraud allegations - Anadolu Ajansı

Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday received the official results of last week's parliamentary elections as the Central Elections Committee rejected fraud allegations raised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and right-wing parties.

"There are voices seeking to undermine the election results. This is a real danger," Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg said during a ceremony attended by Herzog, according to Israeli news website Ynet.

Sohlberg said allegations concerning aspects of the electoral process remained under investigation but warned against questioning the legitimacy of votes cast by Arab citizens.

"We must not cast doubt on voting in Arab society, just as we must not cast doubt on any other group in Israeli society," he said.

The election results are "binding on all of us," Sohlberg stressed.

Earlier Wednesday, the committee approved the final results, with 15 members voting in favor, two against and 14 abstaining, according to Ynet.

The approval followed the committee's announcement that it had found no evidence that the integrity of last week's parliamentary elections had been compromised.

Netanyahu and right-wing parties in his bloc had alleged fraud and voting manipulation within Israel's Arab community.

Herzog is scheduled to begin consultations with representatives of elected parties Wednesday afternoon to determine which lawmaker should be tasked with forming the next government, Ynet reported.

During the consultations, parliamentary parties are expected to recommend candidates for prime minister.

Herzog will then decide which candidate has the best chance of assembling a governing coalition and grant that lawmaker the mandate to form a government.

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot is expected to receive 48 recommendations from Yashar, Yachad, the Democrats and Yisrael Beytenu.

Netanyahu is expected to secure 46 recommendations from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Shas and Religious Zionism.

The predominantly Arab parties, including the Joint List and Ra'am, and the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party have yet to announce whom they will recommend, according to Ynet.