Knesset Legal Adviser Urges Repeat Vote for State Comptroller Post
Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik maintains a repeat vote must be held for state comptroller following Supreme Court orders, amidst a political standoff led by Speaker Amir Ohana.
The legal adviser to the Knesset, Sagit Afik, believes that a repeat vote must be held now to elect the state comptroller, as ruled by the Supreme Court two and a half weeks ago. Last week, the Supreme Court ordered the Knesset to state its position by next Tuesday, and Afik will submit her detailed legal opinion to the court in the coming days.
The Controversy Over the Comptroller Vote
During the first round of voting on June 3, sixty MKs voted for retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, while fifty-seven voted for Adv. Michael Ravelo, the attorney for Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu. However, the first round required a majority of sixty-one MKs, and since this was not achieved, Kneset Speaker Amir Ohana announced a second round.
Despite the requirement for a secret ballot, several Likud MKs photographed themselves with Ravelo's ballot paper inside the Knesset plenum, violating Afik's directives. Following the ensuing uproar, the vote was suspended. After consulting with coalition and opposition representatives, a repeat vote was held in which sixty-one MKs voted for Ravelo against fifty-seven for Elron.
Political Standoff and Supreme Court Involvement
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana has refused to convene the plenum to hold a new vote, declaring ahead of the Likud primaries that he says no to the Supreme Court. Activist Yaron Gadot petitioned the Supreme Court for an order nisi. Meanwhile, the ombudsman's office under the State Comptroller has been left without leadership since Matanyahu Englman's departure in July, leaving whistleblowers unable to receive legal protection.
