Earthquake in the Likud: The court disqualified Knesset members from running in the districts

An earthquake in the Likud: The movement's Supreme Court accepted tonight (between Monday and Tuesday) by a majority of votes the petitions against opening the districts to Knesset members and ministers, and ruled that Knesset members, ministers, and deputy ministers, both incumbent and those who served in the past, will not be able to run in the districts in the upcoming primaries.

The decision was reached by a majority of four judges against the dissenting opinion of court member Adv. Akiva Nof. It effectively cancels the results of the vote held at the Likud convention, in which the option for Knesset members and ministers to run in the districts was approved by a margin of only five votes.

In the verdict, the majority members pointed to a series of difficulties that occurred in the voting process. Among other things, it was noted that the Likud management, which was responsible for organizing the elections, expressed public support for the proposal, that the court's decision to allow observers at polling stations was implemented with a delay, and that discrepancies were discovered in the number of voters, envelopes, and votes at several polling stations. Given the narrow margin, it was determined that the irregularities could have affected the result.

Some of the court members added that opening the districts to incumbent Knesset members violates the principle of equality and the purpose of the districts, which were intended to allow the entry of new candidates into the list. According to them, Knesset members have a built-in advantage stemming from public exposure, status, a network of activists, and public funding.

The political significance of the decision is that the Knesset members and ministers who planned to run in the districts will now be required to change their path of candidacy, and in most cases move to the national list, where tougher competition is expected for a limited number of seats.

On the other hand, local candidates in the districts will not be required to compete against incumbent officeholders, who enjoy public exposure, resources, and a wide network of activists. The ruling may therefore affect the identity of the candidates, the balance of power in the primaries, and the composition of the Likud list for the next Knesset.