Tel Aviv : Voting centres are set to open across Israel for roughly 140,000 members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party to vote on their candidate list for the upcoming national election. According to The Times of Israel, the contest is closely watched and could heavily dictate the nature of the next administration if the pro-Netanyahu bloc prevails in October.
While Likud has historically taken pride in its internal democratic process as one of the few parties choosing its roster via primary, modifications pushed by Netanyahu to restrict open slots have turned this year's contest into an extraordinarily competitive struggle for viable Knesset positions.
The Times of Israel notes that the primary, proceeding after internal judicial challenges thwarted Netanyahu's attempts to bypass it, serves as a gauge for whether Likud will slide further to the right under Netanyahu or elevate moderates, reflecting growing internal factional friction.
With approximately two and a half months remaining before the general election, fresh contenders are pitted against incumbent lawmakers, many of whom face slim prospects of returning to the Knesset. Recent surveys project Likud securing 22-24 seats in the October 27 election, marking a decline from its current 32-seat presence.
A recent decision by the Likud Central Committee drastically expanded Netanyahu's authority over the roster, permitting him to assign eight chosen candidates to reserved slots within the top 29 positions. As reported by The Times of Israel, this motion was passed despite rare internal dissent led by MK David Bitan, who cautioned that sitting lawmakers were being pushed down the list in favour of handpicked figures loyal to the Prime Minister.
Excluding his own secured spot atop the list, Netanyahu maintains command of the 3rd, 5th, 9th, 11th, 15th, 18th, 26th, and 29th positions. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Likud Central Committee chair Haim Katz, and political entrant Oren Dobronsky have been allocated three of these reserved slots, while Defence Minister Israel Katz received an additional ninth reserved placement. Netanyahu has also publicly endorsed former Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen in a joint video.
Due to these constraints, Likud MK Eliyahu Revivo announced he would not run for re-election, highlighting how hard it has become for sitting MKs to secure a realistic spot. Meanwhile, an Agam Institute survey reported by Maariv showed Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana leading member preferences, followed by MK Tally Gotliv, Boaz Bismuth, and Energy Minister Eli Cohen, while Israel Katz ranked 13th and Haim Katz 35th.
According to Hebrew media coverage cited by The Times of Israel, Netanyahu's strategy aims to prevent primary wins for hardline base favourites, such as Gotliv, Shlomo Karhi, and May Golan, who may alienate moderate swing voters, while also using the reserved slots to settle scores with internal critics like Economy Minister Nir Barkat.
In remarks to The Times of Israel, Gotliv dismissed reports of Netanyahu attempting to sideline her as "delusional fake news". She stated, "The prime minister has always had between three to five agreed-upon reserved spots. There is a vote on it, which makes it democratic. There was a vote by all Central Committee members regarding the reserved spots, and there was agreement". Gotliv added, "I expect the voters to place me as high as possible on the Likud slate, because the significance of my ranking on the list is receiving the trust of the public to become Israel's justice minister".
Gotliv also suggested that candidates who fall short of immediate Knesset seats could enter later via the Norwegian Law if Netanyahu forms the next government. Meanwhile, former Likud MK Sharren Haskel told The Times of Israel that Netanyahu's move might also be designed to counter growing ultra-Orthodox influence within the party.
Further tightening the competition, the Tel Aviv District Court recently upheld an internal tribunal ruling that blocked sitting and former lawmakers from running for district-reserved spots traditionally designated for new faces. Commenting on the logistical challenges, Likud Central Committee member Gidon Ariel told The Times of Israel that the late announcement of the primary gave non-incumbent candidates minimal opportunity to introduce themselves to voters, making it difficult for members to back new figures over established lawmakers.