Likud Primaries May Be Scrapped as Netanyahu Moves to Decide the Election Slate

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promoting a new plan for determining the Likud party’s Knesset list, under which a steering committee would decide the order of candidates through the 32nd slot. Under the proposal, Netanyahu would also be able to place seven candidates in reserved slots of his choosing.

The move is being advanced in part because seven members of the faction have left during the current Knesset, along with claims raised in the State Comptroller’s report regarding flaws in the party membership tally. In a recent discussion, Netanyahu argued that holding primaries would cost about 12 million shekels and could encourage extremism in the selection of candidates.

For the plan to take effect, it will need approval by a simple majority in Likud’s constitution committee, the party secretariat, and the Likud conference.