Likud Sets August 4 Primaries Amid Internal Disputes and Election Integrity Concerns

The Likud party's Constitution Committee officially scheduled the party's primary elections for August 4 to determine its Knesset candidate list. Despite this decision advancing the internal election process, significant disagreements remain among committee members and party leadership over key issues such as reserved slots, district placements, and their impact on the final list composition. Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed canceling the primaries once and transferring the list selection power to the party convention, fearing undesired candidates might be elected. This proposal sparked discontent among list members and local leaders. Likud insiders expect a compromise plan that would increase Netanyahu's reserved slots while still holding primaries.

Meanwhile, the battle over election integrity within Likud is intensifying. The party's legal advisor, Attorney Avi Halevi, sent a stern letter to senior officials regarding the 2024 voter registry, revealing that about 20% of votes in the previous registry were suspicious due to fraud, irregularities, or illegal third-party payments. Halevi demanded transferring voter registry management to an independent external body to prevent improper interference. The Likud election committee, chaired by retired judge Menachem Naaman, is set to discuss this issue next week.

Adding to the turmoil, a Channel 13 report raised suspicions of election manipulation through candidate funding for the party convention. The investigation found that Likud CEO David Sharan directly contacted individuals who financed convention candidates, violating party rules that prohibit the CEO from accessing such lists. This action has fueled serious concerns about an organized attempt to skew the internal election results.