Democrats Party Primaries End With Incumbents Leading and Controversial Candidate Naor Narkis Excluded

The Democratic Party primaries, led by Yair Golan, concluded on Monday at 7 PM with a high turnout of 86.2% from eligible voters. Over 97,000 out of approximately 112,000 party members voted digitally among 51 candidates, with no physical polling stations used. After tallying the votes, the party's candidate list for the 26th Knesset was revealed, dominated by incumbent MKs and prominent activists from recent protests.

Yair Golan, the party chairman, secured a top spot, alongside Naama Lazimi, Gilad Kariv, Efrat Rayten, Yaya Pink, Gabi Leski (a reserved Meretz slot), Omri Ronen, Michal Rozin (another Meretz reserved slot), Moshe Redman, Abutbul, and Somia Bashir. Further down the list were Nimrod Shafir (11th), Moran Zar Katzenstein (12th), Avi Dabush (13th), Emily Moati (14th, Meretz reserved), Tomer Avital (15th), Nava Rozolio (16th), and Ram Shefa (17th).

Controversially, Naor Narkis, known for provocative statements such as pledging to close mikvehs and criticizing the national-religious community as "the most draft-dodging sector after the ultra-Orthodox," was placed at an unrealistic 22nd position, effectively excluding him from a realistic chance of election. The party list formation followed the party's bylaws, applying the "Richer" method to ensure gender balance by alternating men and women. Reserved slots were also guaranteed for Meretz representatives at positions 6, 8, and 14, with additional representation commitments for rural sectors and minorities. Golan retains the right to reserve one candidate in each top ten segment.