77,201 lawyers with voting rights will go out to vote tomorrow (Wednesday) in the elections for the Bar Association. They will be able to vote from morning to 20 p.m. at 00 voting sites nationwide, for a total of 106 polling stations in 172 localities spread across the bureau's six districts.
Candidate Amit Bachar will open the morning with voting at a polling station in Tel Aviv, and candidate Efi Naveh opened today with the traditional visit to the Western Wall.
Efi Naveh's appeal rejected: his sentence will remain suspended imprisonment and fine // Moshe Ben Simhon
The candidates are convinced that Prime Minister Netanyahu's announcement this week that the legal reform legislation will relaunch the legislation will energize voters, even though voter turnout has so far been low: in 2011 there was 38% voting (which ended with the election of Yuri Guy Ron), in 2015 there was 28% voting (Efi Naveh was elected), and in 2019 only 28% voted (Avi Himi won).
Throughout the day, candidates and factions will work to energize voters. Thus, for example, the right-wing "Legal Zionism Initiative" list will use the "Elector" system, which the Likud party uses in election campaigns, and hire a hotline of 40 people to encourage right-wing lawyers to go to the polls. Recently, there has been an increase in complaints among Ethiopian-Israeli lawyers that they receive automatic phone calls calling on them in Amharic to vote for Effi Naveh.
Polling stations will open tomorrow, photo: Gideon Markowitz
The Heart of the Struggle: Reform
The media battle is for the position of chairman of the Israel Bar Association, in a race between Attorney Efi Nave and Attorney Amit Bachar – who according to recent polls leads by considerable percentages.
However, against the background of the reform in the judicial system, the significance of voting for the factions that make up the National Council – the body that elects representatives of the Bar Association on the Judicial Selection Committee – is increasing.
Will voter turnout finally rise?, Photo: Gideon Markowitz
The identity of the council, right or left, will determine which camp will be awarded the two votes of the chamber on the committee, and it will receive a majority of five votes - the camp of the liberal judges or the camp of the right-wing coalition.
In order to appoint a president to the Supreme Court from among the sitting justices – or to thwart the appointment of Justice Yitzhak Amit, who according to the "senority system" (seniority on the court) will be elected to the position – only five votes out of nine members of the committee are sufficient.
In contrast to the election of new Supreme Court justices, which requires a special majority of seven out of nine, the other courts require an ordinary majority. For example, former Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn, together with the president of the Supreme Court, appointed 60 justices in one session because they had the necessary majority and did not have to take right-wing members into account.
The Judicial Selection Committee consists of nine members, while the coalition has two ministers – the committee chairman, who is the justice minister, and another minister – as well as the possibility of appointing two Knesset members.
Last week, opposition representative MK Karine Elharrar was elected. Three members are Supreme Court justices, including the Chief Justice, and two other members are representatives of the Chamber.
Last week, the candidates' financial reports were published, and it was revealed that the candidate with the highest budget is the leftist candidate, Adv. Amit Bahar. Large sums were donated to Bachar by left-wing protesters and businessmen.
Questions
What is the Bar Association?
The Israel Bar Association is a statutory body that incorporates all lawyers in Israel and is responsible for consenting, registering and professional supervision of registered lawyers.
Who are the candidates for the position of Chairman of the Bar Association?
Four candidates are vying for the position of bureau chief: Amit Bahar, the incumbent chairman; Efi Naveh, Bureau Chairman 2019-2015; Doron Barzilai, Chairman of the Bureau from 2015-2011; Adv. Arkady Aligulashvili; and Adv. Avraham (Avi) Lalum.
How many lawyers are members of the Chamber?
The Chamber has more than 77,<> eligible lawyers.
How will the elections for the Chamber be conducted today?
Eligible lawyers will be able to vote at 171 polling stations across the country, by district. Chamber members will vote for the position of Bureau Head, representatives of the National Council, the Chairman of the District Committee and the list of candidates for the District Committee.
Yariv Levin and Esther Hayut (archive), photo: Gil Elihojini
The Chamber Chairman is elected to a four-year term, and to win the election he needs more than 4% of the vote. If there is no candidate with a 40% majority, another round is held between the two candidates who received the most votes.
What is the National Council of the Chamber?
The Council serves as the legislative and executive body of the Bar Association. It is responsible for the budget, the appointment of members of various committees, and of course the selection of the Chamber's representatives on the Judicial Selection Committee.
What is the composition of the Council?
The Council consists of 44 members, 28 of whom are elected by the members of the Chamber on Election Day, and the rest are the head of the Bar Association, the Director General of the Ministry of Justice, the State Advocate General, the Military Advocate General, and members from the six districts of the Chamber.
Why are the elections to the Chamber generating so much interest this year?
Due to the legal reform that the government seeks to implement in the near future, and since the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee has not changed as demanded by the Minister of Justice, representatives of the Chamber can serve as a balance sheet and decide on the issue of choosing the president and the next Supreme Court justices.
The coalition and the justice minister want to change the established practice whereby the president of the Supreme Court is appointed according to the senority system, and are working to replace designated president Yitzhak Amit with another president on their behalf.
What is the importance of the council, and why do politicians give it so much weight?
The representatives of the Bar Association on the Judicial Selection Committee are not elected by the Chairman of the Bar, but by the members of the National Council – who have most of the authority and power, although the Chairman has great weight in selecting and promoting representatives before the National Council.
The Council meets on a special date to vote and elect its new representatives who will be members of the Judicial Selection Committee.
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