Netanyahu forces through election of his lawyer as state comptroller amid tainted voteLawmakers voted 61-57 in the Knesset on Wednesday to elect Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, Michael Rabello, as state comptroller in a controversial do-over vote marred by accusations that illegal pressure tainted the election.
The eventual win came after the second round of voting was halted and rerun amid allegations that Likud lawmakers were pressured and ordered to photograph — and even film — their ballots to prove they had voted for Rabello and not betrayed Netanyahu, despite the law calling for a secret ballot.
Opposition leaders accused Likud of undermining the integrity of the election and announced plans to petition the High Court of Justice to annul the result, arguing that lawmakers had been intimidated to prove how they voted.
The state comptroller, who reports directly to the Knesset, is responsible, among other things, for the external oversight of the activities of government ministries and local government, and the financial affairs of political parties, safeguarding the public interest. The comptroller has also been probing the government’s role in the failures that led up to the October 7, 2023, massacre.
Rabello will replace current State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman, who is due to complete his seven-year term this summer......
https://www.timesofisrael.com/netanyahu-forces-through-election-of-his-lawyer-as-state-comptroller-amid-tainted-vote/
