Shas Party Faces Calls to Oust Arie Deri After Election Setback
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
The Shas party is facing internal calls to dismiss its chairman, Arie Deri, after a significant electoral loss, dropping to seven seats from eleven in the previous election. Party members cite strategic errors, including misjudging voter shifts and neglecting the core ultra-Orthodox base, as reasons for the decline. The situation was further complicated by leaked recordings of Rabbi Moshe Tzadka indicating a campaign policy reversal.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Shas party calls for chairman Arie Deri's ouster after losing four seats in recent elections.
- Internal review cites misjudging voter migration and neglecting the ultra-Orthodox base.
- Leaked recordings revealed a campaign policy shift on military enlistment for students.
- Rabbi Moshe Tzadka was persuaded not to publish a letter against voting for Shas.
- Some within Shas doubt Deri can be removed due to his singular control.
The Shas party is conducting an internal review following a significant drop in its electoral performance, securing only seven seats, a decrease of four compared to the 2022 elections. This "crash" has led to calls within the party for the removal of its chairman, Arie Deri, and for other changes, according to Kan News.
However, some within Shas express pessimism about the possibility of removing Deri, describing him as an "absolute ruler." The demands for his ouster stem from two main perceived failures. Firstly, the party underestimated the threat of voter migration to other parties, incorrectly identifying Itamar Ben-Gvir as the primary recipient of these stray votes rather than Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud.
Secondly, the party acknowledges strategic errors during the election campaign, particularly an overemphasis on the periphery and the traditional public while neglecting its core ultra-Orthodox base. This strategic misstep is seen as a key factor in the reduced seat count.
Further complicating matters, recordings of Orthodox-Sephardic Rabbi Moshe Tzadka were broadcast by Kan News less than 48 hours before the polls opened. These recordings revealed a shift in the party's messaging. While the campaign initially promoted the slogan "He who does not study must enlist," Rabbi Tzadka stated in the internal recordings, "They backed down." Prior to this reversal, Rabbi Tzadka had intended to publish a letter urging people not to vote for Shas. Senior rabbis from the movement visited him to persuade him against publishing the letter, and he ultimately agreed not to release it.
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