Israeli Court Upholds Likud Ban on MKs Running in Regional Primaries

The Tel Aviv District Court rejected a petition filed by Likud MK Afif Abed challenging the party's internal court decision that invalidated a vote allowing current and former MKs and ministers to run in regional primaries. The ruling preserves the ban on MKs competing in these regional contests.

The controversy began at the Likud convention on July 27, where a narrow margin of five votes out of approximately 3,500 approved a rule change permitting ministers and MKs to run in regional slots. Following the vote, complaints were filed alleging irregularities in the voting and ballot counting processes, including missing envelopes and problematic ballots in several polling stations across cities such as Rishon Lezion, Jerusalem, Ramla, Acre, Kfar Saba, and Beersheba. Additionally, a text message from the acting party CEO urging support for the proposal raised concerns about undue influence.

The Likud internal court ruled that these procedural flaws could have affected the outcome given the slim margin, leading to the vote's annulment. MK Abed petitioned the district court to overturn this decision or exempt him personally to allow his candidacy in the Galilee and Valleys district. While Judge Yaakov Shaked agreed with Abed's argument that the internal court exceeded its authority by ruling on the principle that MKs running in regional primaries violates equality, he declined to reinstate the vote due to the identified irregularities.

Judge Shaked emphasized that the decision to allow MKs and ministers to run in regional primaries is a policy matter for the Likud convention, not the internal court. He also rejected the claim that MKs inherently have an unfair advantage due to their public profile and resources, noting similar advantages exist for other public figures. Nonetheless, the court deferred to the internal tribunal's finding that the voting irregularities warranted invalidating the vote, especially since the number of missing envelopes matched the margin of victory.

As a result, the ban on MKs and ministers running in regional primaries remains in effect, and the disputed vote will not be reinstated. The ruling clarifies the limits of the internal court's authority while upholding the procedural integrity concerns that led to the vote's annulment.