Democrats Leader Yair Golan Declines Reserved Spot on Party List Amidst High Primary Turnout

Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, announced on Thursday to Einav Tsangoker that he will not use his reserved spot on the party's Knesset list. This decision follows reports that Golan had offered Tsangoker a place on the upcoming election list. Golan expressed deep respect for Tsangoker, recognizing her as a symbol of a determined struggle to secure the release of hostages, and emphasized the party's commitment to establishing a state investigative committee on the matter.

Golan highlighted that the Democrats are proud of their list, which was democratically chosen by 113,000 party members, and that they will lead the fight to replace the current government and rehabilitate Israel. The party's primaries concluded with an exceptionally high turnout of 86 percent, with over 97,000 members voting online in a secure digital system. More than 112,000 eligible voters were invited to select the list from 51 candidates.

According to party regulations, Golan was automatically reserved the first spot on the list, while the rest of the list was determined by the primary results, maintaining a gender alternation pattern. Specific slots were reserved for the Meretz party (positions 6, 8, and 14) and for representatives of rural areas and minorities (positions 12 and 13).