Hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Voters Influence Likud Primaries with Prepared Candidate Lists

Eli Zelicha, a Likud activist stationed at a polling station in Beit Shemesh during the party's primaries, reported witnessing hundreds of ultra-Orthodox voters arriving in groups to cast ballots. According to Zelicha, many came with pre-prepared lists of preferred candidates, despite intending to vote for ultra-Orthodox parties like Shas or United Torah Judaism in the national elections. He described seeing activists distributing these lists and noted that the voters spoke Yiddish and appeared organized.

Zelicha explained that these voters aimed to influence the Likud primaries by supporting candidates who promote ultra-Orthodox agendas, such as Boaz Bismuth and Hanoch Milwitsky. Surprisingly, some lists even included the name of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, whom the voters supported due to perceived alignment on certain issues despite his different background.

Estimating that hundreds of ultra-Orthodox voters participated in this manner, Zelicha criticized the phenomenon as problematic, arguing it distorts the party's democratic process. He warned that Likud risks becoming a "puppet" influenced by groups not aligned with its core values, including ultra-Orthodox and social-democratic elements. Zelicha noted that although the party had previously considered measures to address this issue, no effective solutions had been implemented, and he called for urgent action to stop the practice.