Shas Party Reveals New Knesset List with Leadership Changes

The Shas party unveiled its updated list of candidates for the upcoming elections on Tuesday, featuring shifts in the order of prominent figures and the top ranks. Party chairman Aryeh Deri remains at the helm. Yנון Azulai has been promoted to the second position, followed by Michael Malchieli in third. Yoav Ben-Tzur is placed fourth, and Haim Biton fifth. Dror Amos enters the list at sixth, with Moshe Abutbul at seventh. The remainder of the top ten includes Uriel Buso (eighth), Yosef Tayeb (ninth), and Yonatan Mishriki (tenth). The list continues with Joseph Elnatonov (eleventh), Erez Malul (twelfth), and Simon Mushayoff (thirteenth).

The most notable change is Azulai's ascent to second place, directly behind Deri. Reports had recently indicated Azulai's expected rise and Malchieli's move to third. The revised lineup follows discussions held by the Shas Council of Torah Sages as the party finalized its candidate roster. While significant changes and concerns about incumbents' positions were previously considered, the decision was made not to remove any current Knesset members. Dror Amos, who oversees the Haifa Religious Council and has a military background, is a new prominent name, securing the sixth spot after being considered for inclusion.

Shas enters the elections with Deri leading, but with a reorganized top tier and altered positions for several well-known candidates.