A blow to Netanyahu: He will not be able to cancel the Likud primaries
"Not a one-man party," was written in the tribunal's decision • The implication: There will be no hand-picked list - even in the event of a security deterioration • At the same time, an additional reserved spot was approved for the PM - for the benefit of a candidate from Sa'ar's party • These are the main points of the decision
Drama in Likud: The party's tribunal has ruled that the "cancellation of primaries" clause, which would have allowed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cancel the party's internal elections in the event of a state of emergency, is invalid.
This comes despite Netanyahu's intention to include the clause in the proposed primaries bylaws, which was accompanied by statements that "the security situation might flare up in such a way that holding the elections would not be possible."
Key points of the Likud tribunal's decision
In a particularly sharp ruling, the members of the Likud tribunal, headed by the tribunal chairman, former Knesset member Michael Kleiner, wrote:
"There is no room to open, even slightly, a door for the cancellation of the primaries. This is not the way of the Likud movement. Likud is not a one-man party, and it will lose its vitality if it becomes one."
The judges added that "the current bylaws include a clause allowing the election committee, for special reasons, to change the date of the primaries, and in our opinion, a state of emergency can certainly be a special reason that would justify the change. This is the first and preferred option for dealing with a state of emergency."
Furthermore, the judges addressed the possibility of electronic voting and said that although it is not a preferred option, "it is unequivocally expected of a movement that foresees the possibility that a state of emergency might prevent voting at polling stations, to prepare for the possibility of holding an electronic vote."
However, it should be noted that if the primaries are postponed, Netanyahu could still drag them out and lead to their cancellation. The approaching deadline for closing the lists (September 10) could lead to a situation where there is not enough time left to hold the primaries, so Netanyahu could "skip" them and create a hand-picked list. The assessment among sources in the party is that this is Netanyahu's goal.
Nevertheless, the Mayor of Dimona and member of the organizing committee, Benny Biton, declared on Channel 12: "There will be no primaries in Likud."
Ninth reserved spot approved for Netanyahu
In addition to the decision on the cancellation clause, the tribunal approved additional clauses regarding the number of spots reserved by Netanyahu, including the addition of another spot — the ninth in number, which will allow him to reserve a spot for another member from Gideon Sa'ar's "New Hope" party, likely Minister Ze'ev Elkin.
As recalled, the Likud constitution committee approved a week ago (Sunday), at the end of a repeat discussion chaired by the committee chairman and Likud central committee chairman, Minister Haim Katz, and with the participation of the movement chairman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu's proposal to change the primaries system, which includes eight reserved spots for the movement chairman.
