Beit Shemesh Victorious!
In a revolutionary decision, The Jerusalem District Court overturned the October Municipal elections in Bet Shemesh. There will be new elections, both for the mayor and for the city council.
The court evaluated evidence of widespread and organized voter fraud - and concluded that the democratic process had been undermined, to the extent that the election results, with less than 1000 votes separating the winner, Moshe Abutbol, from contender Eli Cohen, are invalid.
This is the culmination of a two month legal process, which was sparked by the discovery by police of large quantities of ID cards in a private apartment in Beit Shemesh, and more ID's in a vehicle, on election day - and the arrest of eight residents.
The criminal investigation was handed over to the national organized crime unit - and a large, well organized voting scam was revealed. The scam included organized collecting of ID cards, particularly of residents who were not planning to vote, such as they would be travelling, and included placing ID collection boxes in several synagogues, and payment of incentives to participants.
Meantime, both the Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and Eli Cohen submitted appeals to the Jerusalem District Court, asking to cancel the election results, presenting copious evidence of organized election fraud on a large scale.
The dilemma the court addressed was to decide whether a smaller quantity of reasonably proven fraudulent votes (less than 1000) entitles the court to over-rule the whole election.
The answer delivered today was a clear Yes.
In the decision of the three man court, District Court President David Hasin declared that the wide extent and severe nature of the election illegalities shown to the court had undermined the whole democratic process in Beit Shemesh.
For residents of Beit Shemesh, the message is clear: Democracy and Justice now rules in Beit Shemesh!
Interesting perception, David "Democracy and Justice now rules in Beit Shemesh!"
ReplyDeleteAt least half of beit shemesh sees this as a travesty of justice and breakdown of the justice system to rule with virtually no evidence to overturn an election. There is no precedence for such a thing and it is quite shocking that
Unfortunately this will be appealed and the process will be long and drawn out and the division within beit shemesh will just continue and probably strengthen.
No, the majority of Bet Shemesh sees it as a victory of Democracy and Justice. We will not let a bunch of extremist residents steal our democracy.
DeleteLaw perhaps, Justice and Democracy no.
ReplyDeleteThe scan was using other people's TZs with their knowledge voting in their stead for the parties that they themselves wished to vote for. That's democracy.
1 person 1 vote. The court decision was correct. We are a city of many varied people both religious and no religious and from different parts of the world, (mostly democracies where things like this would not be tolerated). The court made the right decision.
ReplyDeleteCarl, theoretically if Eli Cohen had one the election and it was found that one of his supporters voted twice, would it have been democratic to throw out the results?
ReplyDeleteFor a court to overturn election results based on speculation that perhaps there was widespread fruad that affected the election results when the evidence only indicated minimal fraud is a mockery of the court system and undemocratic.
ReplyDelete