Netanyahu weighs a new Likud primary plan that would expand his control over the slate

Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu is examining an alternative formula for the party’s primaries after mayors in the party proposed cancelling the vote altogether and appointing a screening committee. According to the plan now under consideration, the national list would be extended to place 40, and only candidates from there downward would compete in district races.

Under that proposal, the reserved slots currently set aside for a woman, a young candidate, a Haredi candidate, a minority representative and a new immigrant would be eliminated. In exchange, Netanyahu would receive nine reserved placements, three in each of the top three tens of the list. Party activists are already protesting the idea, with one Knesset member saying, “The talks about a steering committee are meant to legitimize the less bad option for MKs, 8 to 10 reservations. Primaries are an inseparable part of the democratic process in Likud.”

Senior Likud mayors are backing the initiative, including Yisrael Beiteinu? no, the article names only Home? Actually it cites Haim Bibas, head of the Local Government Center and mayor of Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut. Likud figures say Bibas wants a reserved slot himself in the next round, and that if he enters the Knesset his current local-government post would open up for another Likud mayor, giving others an interest in supporting the move. The party also says Netanyahu is seeking candidates with broader appeal, not just people who can win primaries, and is trying to target younger voters through suitable reserved slots.

Two weeks ago, Likud’s secretariat met, and center chairman Haim Katz said he was waiting for clear decisions from Netanyahu, otherwise he would convene the center to rule. A Likud internal affairs note said the party may hold primaries in July, but those could be cancelled; the party already scrapped the leadership primary after no one challenged Netanyahu. If the slate vote is also cancelled, it would be the second time the party’s internal elections are called off. Last week, Likud internal auditor attorney Shai Galili said Netanyahu’s request to cancel the primaries is illegal and that appointing a steering committee to determine the Knesset slate would require approval from party members.