Likud Primaries Face Uncertainty Amid Court Delays

The uncertainty surrounding the Likud primaries continues: following a delay in the publication of the party court's ruling, the deadline for Knesset members to decide whether to run on the national list or in districts has been extended by two days. Today (Monday) was the original deadline for submission, but the lack of a decision on petitions regarding the eligibility of incumbent ministers and MKs to run in districts has stalled the process. As of this moment, no official ruling has been published.

Following the delay, the acting director-general of Likud, David Sharan, extended the window for Knesset members to finalize their running track by two additional days, setting the new deadline for this coming Tuesday. The situation is complicated by developments regarding the chairman of the Likud court, Michael Kleiner, which are unrelated to party affairs. Consequently, the ruling on the petitions is expected to be issued by a substitute judge appointed to act in place of Kleiner.

Within Likud, there is growing concern that these repeated postponements could impact the date of the primaries themselves. Party officials estimate that if the ruling continues to be delayed, the primaries—which have already been postponed once—may face further delays, with some even fearing a potential cancellation.