Likud Primary Results Finalized With Four Ministers Losing Realistic Seats

The Likud party completed its primary vote count early Tuesday morning, about 14 hours after polls closed. The finalized list, including reserved slots held by party leader and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shows a significant reshuffle with four ministers pushed to unrealistic positions, effectively ending their chances of returning to the Knesset. Only two women, Miri Regev and Tali Gottlieb, secured spots through the primaries, though Netanyahu's reserved slots are expected to increase female representation.

The party released a statement saying, "The Prime Minister is very pleased with the primary results," and described the new list as reflecting renewal and the integration of new forces at the top. The top five candidates are Netanyahu, Eli Cohen, Israel Katz, and Gideon Sa'ar (who holds a reserved slot).

Among the ministers who lost favorable positions are Ze'ev Elkin, May Golan, Avi Dichter, and Idit Silman. Several sitting Knesset members, including Nissim Vaturi, Hanoch Milwitsky, Avichai Boaron, Amit Halevi, Keti Shitrit, Eti Atiya, Ariel Kallner, Sasson Guetta, and Shalom Danino, were also pushed down the list.

A notable last-minute upset occurred when Boaz Bismuth narrowly surpassed David Bitan by 16 votes (24,092 to 24,076), placing Bismuth 22nd and Bitan 23rd on the list, followed by Nir Barkat and Gila Gamliel.