Likud Legal Battle Over Primaries Intensifies as Petition Challenges MP District Ban

The Likud party is facing an internal legal dispute after its Supreme Court overturned a party conference decision allowing sitting Knesset members, ministers, and deputy ministers to run in district primaries. The court ruled that these officials can only run on the national list unless they resign from office and forgo state funding for the primaries. This ruling maintains a clear separation between national list slots and district representation slots.

The decision followed several petitions filed by party activists and candidates who opposed the change approved at last week's Likud conference. The contested clause, promoted by Likud Central Committee chairman Haim Katz with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's support, sparked fierce internal opposition. Critics argued that allowing incumbent officials to compete in district slots would disadvantage new candidates and create an unfair advantage.

In response to the court's ruling, Ilan Bombach, acting legal advisor for Likud, is expected to file a petition on Wednesday seeking to overturn the Supreme Court's decision and reinstate the conference-approved framework. The legal battle highlights ongoing tensions within Likud over its primary election rules and candidate selection process.