The day after the primaries: Netanyahu will look for religious candidates, reservists, and women

A day after the Likud primaries, the party is already moving on to the next battle: the reserved spots in the hands of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The results obtained in the primaries left several gaps in the list, which Netanyahu will be required to fill if he wants to present a list in the elections that will provide an answer to the variety of populations in Israel that identify with Likud.

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One of the most prominent gaps is female representation. As of now, only two women are in realistic spots on the list - Minister Miri Regev and MK Tali Gotliv. For Likud, this is limited representation, and in Netanyahu's circle, they will have to consider whether to dedicate one of the reserved spots to increasing the number of women.

Representation of immigrants is also lacking. Ze'ev Elkin, who for years was considered one of the prominent representatives of the Russian-speaking public in Likud, finished in a spot that is not considered realistic. At the same time, MK Tsaga Melaku, who was supposed to provide an answer for the representation of Ethiopian immigrants, withdrew from the race even before the polls opened. Here too, Netanyahu may use a reserved spot to close the gap.

An answer to the Religious Zionist public

But perhaps the most significant blow was recorded precisely in the national-religious wing. The primaries left Likud with very limited representation of Religious Zionism. MKs Avichai Boaron, Amit Halevi, Nissim Vaturi, Ariel Kallner, and Idit Silman were pushed to unrealistic spots or dropped from the list.

Those who did manage to secure realistic spots are Minister Shlomo Karhi and MK Moshe Saada, who reached 19th and 21st places respectively. However, both are identified more with the Haredi-traditional public, so the party will likely be required to provide an answer to the Religious Zionist public as well.

Another gap is found in the reservist sector. In the national list, at this stage, there is no clear representative of the reservists who fought in the Iron Swords war. Yigal Brand, CEO of Betar Olami and the Zionist Council and a Major in the reserves, who was a natural candidate to represent this public, withdrew from the race. With Yoav Gallant and Avi Dichter out of the list, there is also no representation for security figures.

Someone who has already managed to close part of the gap is Shlomo Lerner, who won in the Tel Aviv district. Lerner entered the list as a prominent representative of the national-religious public and as someone who also brings with him the story of reserve service and combat. In doing so, he may become an important figure in Likud's attempt to appeal again to the serving public, which feels that the list does not sufficiently reflect their contribution to the war effort.

Now, after the voters have had their say, the power passes to Netanyahu. He will be required to choose how to distribute the few reserved spots in his hands: women, Religious Zionism, reservists, immigrants, and representatives of other groups. In other words, the primaries may have ended, but the battle for the composition of the Likud list is only beginning.