Likud faces brutal primary battle: 36 candidates fight for just 16 realistic seats

More than half of Likud’s current parliamentary roster faces potential elimination from the Knesset following the party’s primary court decision and approval of exemptions for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to polling forecasts, even if Likud secures 30 seats in the next election, sitting MPs will have extremely limited opportunities to secure positions on the party list. The mathematics are stark: with only around 16 realistic Knesset positions available, dozens of incumbent politicians face the prospect of losing their seats.

The situation has created a highly competitive primary race, with 36 candidates vying for those limited realistic placements on the ballot. This reflects the intensely fractious nature of Israeli politics and the internal power struggles within Likud, Israel’s largest political party. The primary process has become particularly contentious given that many sitting members of Knesset have been prevented from competing in regional primaries, leaving them to fight in the main party ballot.

The approved exemptions for Netanyahu represent a significant advantage for the Prime Minister, effectively ringfencing his position whilst colleagues face an uncertain political future. This disparity has generated considerable tension within the party ranks, with numerous senior figures uncertain whether they will retain their parliamentary seats. For many of Likud’s 36 battling candidates, the primary represents an existential threat to their political careers, with only roughly half likely to survive the selection process and move forward to general election ballots.

Source: Ynet — Original article in Hebrew.