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 the polls closed Monday night. 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 reelection.

Only two women, Miri Regev and Tali Gottlieb, secured spots through the primaries, though the total number of women on the list is expected to increase due to Netanyahu's reserved slots. 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 on the list are Netanyahu, Eli Cohen, Israel Katz, and Gideon Sa'ar (who holds a reserved slot). Ministers who lost realistic positions include Ze'ev Elkin, May Golan, Avi Dichter, and Idit Silman. Several Knesset members also lost their places, such as Nissim Vaturi, Hanoch Milwitsky, and others.

A notable last-minute change saw Boaz Bismuth narrowly surpass David Bitan by 16 votes (24,092 to 24,076), placing Bismuth 22nd and Bitan 23rd on the list. Following them are Nir Barkat and Gila Gamliel. This primary outcome signals a reshaping of Likud's parliamentary slate ahead of the next elections.