Netanyahu Prepares for Digital Primaries in Likud to Cut Costs and Limit Lobby Influence

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering holding digital primaries for the Likud party, according to a report by Kan News on Tuesday evening. Netanyahu was impressed by the Democratic Party's recent digital primaries in the United States, which were conducted securely and saw high voter turnout. The primary motivation for this move is concern over potential security escalations that could disrupt traditional voting.

In addition to security considerations, digital primaries offer two main advantages: significant cost savings amounting to millions of shekels for the party, and reducing the influence of lobby groups that typically operate at physical polling stations. The main proponent of this idea is David Sharan, the acting CEO of Likud, who discussed the concept in a radio interview earlier on Tuesday.

Currently, Netanyahu views digital primaries as a contingency plan for complex security scenarios, but insiders believe it could become a standard practice even during routine times. Meanwhile, the Likud Central Committee approved Netanyahu's request to allocate eight reserved spots on the party list. The Likud court emphasized that primaries must be held, reinforcing that the party is not controlled by a single individual.