Netanyahu Advances Plan to Reshape Likud Knesset Slate

The prime minister is seeking to establish a new framework in which a steering committee would determine the order of the list up to the 32nd slot, and he would be able to place seven candidates in reserved positions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is promoting a new plan for forming the Likud Knesset list, in an effort to change how the order is determined and reduce the party’s dependence on primaries, according to Amit Segal.

Under Netanyahu’s proposal, a steering committee made up of mayors and public figures would decide the order of the list up to the 32nd place, while the Likud chairman himself would be given the option of placing seven candidates in reserved slots of his choosing. It was also reported that the move comes against the backdrop of seven faction members leaving during the current Knesset, alongside claims of flaws in the membership registry raised in the State Comptroller’s report. Netanyahu says holding primaries costs about 12 million shekels and could encourage radicalization in the choice of candidates. For the plan to take effect, it must receive a simple majority in the Likud constitution committee, as well as approval from the party secretariat and the Likud convention.