A ban on Arab parties running in the upcoming Israeli elections has been overturned, setting the stage for the ethnic minority groups to play kingmaker after ballots are cast.

The Israeli Central Elections Committee issued the ban in late September on the accusation that the Arab parties, which are organized into the United Arab List and Joint List alliances, reject the country’s existence as a Jewish, democratic state. They also voted to ban Hadash party lawmaker Ofer Cassif and Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh on similar grounds.