Israel – The Knesset today approved a bill prohibiting the publication of polls during the four days prior to any primary election. The bill constitutes a fine of NIS 67,300 (about $17,700).
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The bill also states that polls that are published will be obligated to include certain details such as number of people polled, their background, and information regarding the method used to gather the data.
The proposal was initiated by Knesset Members Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor), Tzachi Hangebi (Kadima), Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) and Yuli Edelstein (Likud).
It was submitted a few months ago, and legislative procedure was spurred after Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni’s victory over her opponent, Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz.
The polls on the Kadima primaries showed a landslide victory for Livni, but on election eve she won by just a small margin.
The Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee chairman, MK Menachem Ben-Sasson (Kadima), said following the bill’s approval that “we cannot completely control the pre-election flow of information, but it’s important to try to allow the public to form an opinion in the days before the elections, without a poll swaying that opinion.”
The new law is scheduled to take effect during the next few days, thus it will affect the primaries held by the different parties in preparation for the nationwide vote in February.
halavi in america. the real truth the media tamper with the polls look obama won with 5% where is the 9% or 11%?
leftist control the media and the courts they will allways manipulate every step and movment towards their needs
There goes freedom of the press