Shas party leader Aryeh Deri asks to step down after losing five mandates in the elections

Deri asks to step down after electoral defeat

Aryeh Deri, leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party, asked on Wednesday to step down as chairman after the party — an ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — lost five mandates in last week's parliamentary elections: in the new Knesset it won six seats, down from eleven in the outgoing one. The Anadolu agency reported citing Israeli media.

Council of Torah Sages is reviewing the request

According to state broadcaster KAN, the party's Council of Torah Sages will meet on Wednesday to discuss Deri's request. The rabbis were expected to try to persuade him to reverse his decision and remain at the head of the party. According to the broadcaster, the move is aimed primarily at restoring Deri's legitimacy within the party after the election failure; among the options under consideration is Deri leaving the Knesset while temporarily retaining leadership of the party.

Reasons for the defeat and the context of the ultra-Orthodox call-up

On Tuesday, Shas announced that it recommends that President Isaac Herzog task Netanyahu with forming a new government. The party, which represents ultra-Orthodox Jews of Eastern origin, gave no clear explanation for the lower turnout among its voters, who traditionally vote en masse. Israeli media, however, linked it to protest abstention by part of its supporters over the government's failure to pass a law exempting Haredim from military service. On June 25, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled that ultra-Orthodox men must be drafted and banned financial assistance to religious institutions whose students refuse to serve; senior rabbis called on them to refuse the draft. Haredim make up about 13% of Israel's population of 10 million. Meanwhile, Shas's ally, the United Torah Judaism party, retained its seven seats in the Knesset.