Religious Zionism Party Launches Primaries for July 26 General Election List

The Religious Zionism party has officially initiated its internal primary elections to determine its candidate list for the upcoming Knesset elections. Party central committee members received formal notice that the deadline to submit candidacies is Tuesday, July 21, at 23:59, with the voting scheduled for Sunday, July 26. Yehuda Wald, the party CEO, explained in a letter that despite the proximity to the Knesset dissolution and summer holidays, the timing was chosen to allow a prompt start to the election campaign while ensuring a fair democratic process without extending into the August recess.

Wald urged party members to conduct the primaries with fairness, integrity, and mutual respect. The party’s executive committee, excluding incumbent Knesset members who are candidates, will oversee the election process as the official election committee. According to party regulations, non-incumbent candidates must pay a 240-shekel registration fee and submit 15 signatures from central committee members, while incumbent MKs are exempt from these requirements. External candidates not registered with the party need special approval from the party chair to shorten their required membership period.

Voting will be conducted in physical polling stations, with locations and hours to be announced later. Recognizing that some central committee members serve in reserve duty or are abroad, a special exceptions committee will be established to consider alternative voting arrangements. Additional forms and instructions will be distributed in the coming days.