Tight Race Emerges for New Female Candidate Slot in Likud Primaries

The C14 primaries project reveals a close contest for the new female candidate slot in the Likud party list ahead of the 2026 elections. Leading the race is Hadar Mukhtar, a recent IDF veteran who previously ran independently with the Young Burning Party and has become active on social media, especially in confrontations with left-wing activists at protests. Mukhtar now tops the ranking for the new female slot.

Following her is Kinneret Barashi, who had previously led the list but dropped to second place. Barashi has not officially declared her candidacy but is popular within Likud due to her Open Studio project, which extensively covered and critiqued the Netanyahu trial and exposed flaws in the law enforcement system. The third spot is held by Smadar Mores, an experienced educator known for advocating the inclusion of Jewish values and tradition in secular schools. Mores has confirmed her candidacy for the new female slot.

Other candidates in the top seven include Chaya Malul Gaz (fourth), Eti Telmi (fifth), Keren Atias Bublil (sixth), and Mati Yogev (seventh). The C14 Likud primaries voting portal allows the public to directly influence the party list by selecting preferred candidates for the national team, district representatives, and the new female candidate slot. The voting process is free, fast, and transparent, with real-time updates available to all visitors. This initiative enables voters to shape the Likud list ahead of the official primary results, reflecting public preferences in real time.