A gap of hundreds of votes: The battle for survival at the top of the Likud
Stormy meetings and numerous appeals are shaking the ruling party these days, as the election committee is required to decide on a series of typo corrections and suspicions of unusual gaps in the central polling stations. Senior figures at the top of the Likud are waiting anxiously for the expected decisions that will change the candidates' positions on the list for the Knesset and determine their political fate.
The Likud election committee meeting is taking place today, Sunday, to discuss appeals and typo corrections at all polling stations, following dozens of requests submitted by Eli Cohen, Yariv Levin, Ze'ev Elkin, Ofir Shekali, Amit Halevi, Avichai Boaron, Eti Atiya, Idit Silman, May Golan, Boaz Bismuth, David Bitan, Tally Gotliv, and others.
On Tuesday, a more contentious discussion will take place regarding the polling station in Be'er Ya'akov, where impossible figures and gaps of hundreds of votes were discovered compared to the number of voters. Knesset members expected to be directly affected by the results, along with other interested parties such as Amit Halevi, Gila Gamliel, and Ofir Katz, have requested to attend the recount.
The typo corrections in both cases will be carried out by the company managing the primaries as part of the data entry control procedures initiated on the night of the primaries. The election committee has allowed time for the relevant Knesset members to review the protocols. Retired judge Menachem Neeman, who heads the election committee, is expected to approve the corrections, which will add votes to various candidates.
According to party sources, changes in positions are expected between Gila Gamliel, Amit Halevi, Avichai Boaron, and Eti Atiya. A source noted that despite the various corrections, Eti Atiya is expected to remain higher on the list than Minister Gila Gamliel, who has filed a police complaint against Haim Katz, alleging intentional falsification of primary results rather than mere typing errors. Additionally, there may be a shift in position between Boaz Bismuth and David Bitan.
How tight is it? The gap between Eti Atiya and Gila Gamliel stands at approximately 451 votes, while the gap between Amit Halevi and Gila Gamliel is 157 votes. One option on the table is the cancellation of the voting results in Be'er Ya'akov and the disqualification of the entire polling station. Likud officials claim that even such a disqualification would not dramatically alter the positions of Atiya and Gamliel.
