‘Awful & grubby’: Israeli President Rivlin condemns election campaign, urges end to instability

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin condemned what he described as an “awful and grubby” election campaign as he cast his ballot on Monday. “We deserve a government that works for us,” Rivlin said in a statement after voting in Jerusalem.

“We don’t deserve another awful and grubby election campaign like the one that ends today and we don’t deserve this never-ending instability,” AFP quoted the president as saying. The run-up to Israel’s third election in less than 12 months has included a series of leaked recordings and mudslinging.

Rivlin said voting day in Israel is normally a “festive” day. “But the truth is that I don’t feel like celebrating. I only [feel] a sense of deep shame when I face you, my fellow citizens,” he added.

Voters are seeking to end a grinding political deadlock following two inconclusive elections in April and September. Polls have pointed to another tight race between PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party and the centrist alliance led by ex-military chief Benny Gantz.