After police complaint, Likud officially updates: Gamliel pushed to 35th place
The recount in Be'er Ya'akov officially determined: the Minister of Innovation has been pushed to an unrealistic spot, and her 25th place will be taken by MK Eti Atiya, who is close to Minister Haim Katz, who responded: "I am undergoing a series of lies and slander by Mrs. Gamliel." The minister claimed irregularities and filed a complaint with the police; her husband was filmed shouting: "They are stealing the election."
Two weeks after the Likud primaries, and under heavy claims of "stealing the election" and a ballot recount "without supervision," the ruling party announced this evening (Sunday) that the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Gila Gamliel has been pushed to the 35th and unrealistic spot on the list, and her 25th place has been taken by MK Eti Atiya. This concerns a tight race that took place between the two for the reserved slot for women's representation.
The reversal in votes occurred after the Likud claimed that two ballot boxes in Be'er Ya'akov showed unreasonable data for the candidates, and it was decided last week to open the ballot boxes for a recount, the final results of which have now been published following the appeals filed against it. A confrontation developed between Gamliel and Minister Haim Katz, who is close to Atiya, regarding the recount in Be'er Ya'akov, at the end of which Gamliel even filed a complaint with the police against him and against the Likud CEO David Sharan. In Gamliel's camp, they claimed that the ballot box was opened again without allowing time to file petitions, and claimed that the recount was forged.
In footage, Gamliel's husband—who arrived at the Reshef Security headquarters in Holon, where the recount took place—is seen demanding to enter, being refused, and shouting: "They are stealing an election from me here!".
"In the last week, I have been undergoing a series of lies and slander by Mrs. Gamliel, her family members, and her associates. The only reason for the restraint I imposed on myself: the good of the Likud on the eve of fateful elections for the future of Israel," responded Minister Haim Katz.
A day after the recount, Likud branch heads turned to Benjamin Netanyahu's chief of staff, Ido Norden, and expressed anger over the very fact of the recount about a week after the publication of the final results of the primaries.
