Likud Party cancels primaries, narrowing candidate selection

JERUSALEM, Nov. 12 (JTA) – The Likud Party has abolished the primaries that determine the party’s list of candidates for Knesset elections. The vote to cancel the primaries came early Wednesday at the end of a stormy Likud Party convention. At the center of the tumult was the question of where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood on the primaries issue. Observers suggested that the premier was disingenuous when he called Tuesday night for a postponement of the vote and that he really wanted to abolish the primaries to tighten his grip on the party. As Netanyahu pleaded with the 2,000 delegates to delay the vote, senior aides to the prime minister were reportedly working to ensure their cancellation. Some observers suggested that Netanyahu favored the previous system of central committee members choosing the Knesset candidates as a means to blocking potential challengers from within his party. Two former Cabinet ministers – Dan Meridor and Ze’ev “Benny” Begin – are among the Likud activists who have been seeking to replace Netanyahu as head of the party. Several of his current ministers termed the convention’s action as undemocratic. The move could lead disgruntled Likud activists to break away from the party. Knesset member Meir Sheetrit, who heads the Likud caucus, said he was preparing legislation with his Labor Party counterpart that would require all political parties to hold primaries. From the outset of the convention, a majority of the party’s central committee members called for restoring the old system of patronage used to draw up the list. Likud introduced primaries for the first time before last year’s Knesset elections, enabling the party’s 200,000 rank-and-file members to choose the list of candidates.