Rabello withdraws as comptroller candidate, months after tainted election

Michael Rabello has withdrawn his candidacy for the position of state comptroller, Hebrew media reported on Wednesday, several months after the High Court of Justice froze his appointment over concerns that the Knesset vote in which he was elected was conducted improperly.

Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former personal lawyer, was elected to the watchdog role by the Knesset on June 3. Netanyahu backed him against the other candidate, former Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron.

The vote was highly controversial, as at least six coalition MKs violated the legal requirement that it be held by secret ballot by filming their ballot selection. Opposition parties and government watchdog groups have alleged that this was done on the instructions of senior Likud officials, to prove that they were voting in accordance with their party’s position.

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The High Court of Justice subsequently ruled that the Knesset must therefore hold a new election for the state comptroller position.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin called on the Knesset not to abide by the ruling, and no repeat election has been held. Rabello, however, had refused to take up the position in light of the High Court ruling, leaving it unfilled.

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On Tuesday, the High Court lambasted Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana for his refusal to hold a new election for the position despite the court order, saying his conduct undermined democratic governance and harmed both the rule of law and the public interest.

Rabello’s decision to withdraw was first reported by Channel 12, which did not elaborate on the reasons behind the move.

However, the outlet did note that the move comes in the wake of last week’s election, which left Netanyahu’s bloc without a parliamentary majority in the incoming Knesset. Opposition parties have said that they will prioritize holding a new election for comptroller once the new Knesset is sworn in next week.

Channel 12 added that after Rabello withdrew his name from the contest, other candidates besides Elron were being considered for nomination.

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