Why Likud Should Scrap Its Primary System

The article argues that Likud’s primary elections have become a power mechanism that encourages deals, pressure and narrow interests, without improving the slate or strengthening internal party democracy. It says the system wastes money and energy, produces unwanted results during the Knesset term, and has nothing to do with real democracy. The writer says the time has come to abolish primaries in Likud altogether.

As a practical matter, the piece says Likud MKs are forced to spend much of their time courting Central Committee members and others who control blocks of potential voters. That, it argues, creates the smell of backroom arrangements and leaves some lawmakers in place mainly because they can help connected insiders, rather than because they represent the public.

The article adds that some Likud MKs are respectable and others are not, with some bringing honor to the party and others embarrassing it. It says some understand they are in the Knesset thanks to voters who support a stable government and coalition led by the prime minister, while others act as though only their personal opinions or pet causes matter. In the writer’s view, primaries have not proven better than other selection methods, such as a committee, a party leader choosing the list, or even a lottery.

The piece rejects the claim that this is exemplary democracy, saying primaries in one party are meaningless when organized interest groups, some of which vote for other parties, are mobilized to shape the list. It also argues that district arrangements can produce anti-democratic outcomes, where a little-known candidate with a few hundred organized votes can enter the list simply by being placed in the right district. The writer concludes that, ahead of a highly sensitive coming election and Knesset term, Likud should end the current system now and allow the party leadership to build a stronger, cleaner list free of pressure and waste.