The Likud Constitution Committee voted unanimously on Sunday to postpone the date for the party’s primaries to August 4 ahead of the upcoming elections, and is expected to release updated rules on the primary process this week.
The vote in the Knesset to postpone the primaries came amid reports that there will soon be controversial changes to the party’s primary system that could grant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu authority to determine the highest-ranked slots.
While no decision has been announced on allowing Netanyahu to control the first slots, the updated rules and procedures for the primaries are expected to be released on Thursday, according to Housing and Construction Minister Haim Katz.
Katz is also the Likud Central Committee and Likud Constitution Committee chairperson.
The previous date for the Likud primaries had been July 28 before the postponement.
Deadline for closing the voter registry for the primaries to be pushed to July 10
The deadline for closing the voter registry for the primaries had been set for July 7, and a request is expected to be sent to the Central Elections Committee to postpone the deadline slightly to July 10.
The proposal to change the Likud primary system has drawn internal opposition from senior Likud figures, Katz and MK David Bitan, who have criticized the move.
Netanyahu had reportedly met with Katz ahead of Sunday’s Likud Constitution Committee meeting.
While the Likud holds primaries to determine its Knesset list, Netanyahu has reportedly been seeking to change the method this year to grant himself more control and determine the highest slots on the list himself.
There have also been reports that Netanyahu has threatened to leave Likud if the proposed changes are not advanced.
Parties are not mandated to hold primaries in Israel, and only a few conduct them. The Likud has prided itself for years that it conducts primaries in which its over 100,000 registered members are eligible to vote for the Knesset list.
There have been reports that some of the reserved slots could go to figures such as Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and former finance minister Moshe Kahlon.
Netanyahu is working to influence Likud lawmakers
Likud MK Amit Halevi told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday that Netanyahu may be working over the weekend to influence Likud lawmakers, as part of an effort to secure control over at least the first six reserved spots on the party’s Knesset list.
Regarding who the reserved slots would ultimately be used for, Halevi told the Post he believed some would be allocated to people who “embody the spirit of the party.”
“People from the military or people who paid personal prices in the war, who can strongly express the demand for victory,” he said.
“Maybe former officers, people who served and sacrificed, or people with strong public service backgrounds.”
The debate on how to hold the Likud primaries comes ahead of the general elections, which are set to take place no later than October 27.
Source:
www.jpost.com
