WORLD NEWS SEPTEMBER 9, 2019 / 10:40 AM / UPDATED 4 HOURS AGO

Parliament bars Israeli PM's plan for cameras at polling stations

Jeffrey Heller
4 MIN READ

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed on Monday in a bid to have cameras installed at Israeli voting stations, but seized on the legislative defeat to hone accusations his foes intend to steal next week’s election.

Echoing Donald Trump in his winning presidential run in 2016, Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, has turned possible voter fraud into a central theme of his own campaign in a tightly contested race.

He has implored supporters to flock to the ballot box to ensure him a fifth term amid largely unproven allegations by Likud officials of widespread fraud at polling stations in Arab towns in the previous, inconclusive election in April.

A day after Netanyahu’s cabinet approved draft legislation for camera monitoring, the proposed bill was voted down in committee in parliament on Monday.

Most Western countries have restrictions on the use of cameras in ballot stations, and political commentators had predicted a rough ride for the measure.

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