Democratic Party Holds Primaries for Knesset List Ahead of Israel's 26th Elections

The Democratic Party, led by Yair Golan, is conducting its primaries on Monday to determine its candidate list for Israel's 26th Knesset elections. Voting opened at 9:00 AM and will close at 7:00 PM, with results expected by 8:00 PM. Over 112,000 party members are eligible to vote, selecting between 6 and 8 candidates from a pool of 51 contenders. The final list will feature gender balance using a zipper system alternating men and women, and will guarantee representation for Meretz members in the 6th and 8th slots, as well as for rural sectors and minorities. Golan has the authority to reserve one candidate spot in each group of ten.

Notable candidates include current Knesset members Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv, and Efrat Rayten, as well as Danny Elgart, whose brother Itzik was killed in Hamas captivity, and political activist Naor Narkis. Kariv stated, "We are bringing the protest into the government. We made a heroic protest and now we will make a historic change. The Democrats will be the compass and conscience of the change government."

A recent Kan News poll showed Golan's list receiving nine mandates. The poll also indicated declines for Likud and Gadi Eizenkot's "Yashar!" party, each losing two mandates compared to previous results. Eizenkot leads Netanyahu with 22 mandates to 21 for Likud. Other poll results include Naftali Bennett's "Together" party holding 15 mandates, Itamar Ben-Gvir's "Otzma Yehudit" rising to 10 mandates, and Avigdor Lieberman's "Yisrael Beiteinu" dropping to nine mandates. Shas and United Torah Judaism remain steady at eight mandates each, while Hadash-Ta'al and Ra'am hold five mandates apiece. Religious Zionism and a new party led by Hili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel each have four mandates, with the latter crossing the electoral threshold for the first time. Balad and the Benny Gantz-Dedi Simchi alliance failed to pass the threshold.

The Netanyahu bloc decreased to 51 mandates, while the opposition bloc excluding Arab parties holds 55 mandates, with Tropper and Hendel's party adding four mandates. Additional political tensions include criticism of Aryeh Deri and attacks on the IDF Chief of Staff related to Netanyahu's missions, with Lieberman urging change bloc leaders to prepare for prime ministership.