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Likud court reverses itself: No primaries for party’s Knesset list

The appeal against a primary for the entire list was accepted by an expanded court.

By Batya Jerenberg, World Israel News

Nine judges of the Likud’s internal court decided late Monday night to reverse the ruling of a more limited panel and declared that primaries for the party’s Knesset slate may be cancelled.

The three-man court had ruled on Thursday that the Likud’s constitution would have to be changed by the party’s Central Committee in order to bypass the law that stated that primaries must be held before every election.

The decision was appealed by senior party members as well as by the party’s chief legal adviser on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Likud Central Committee chairman Haim Katz had also argued against a primary given the costs “to the Likud and the state.”

He said that Knesset members from the last election did not get the chance to serve in an active Knesset, and “we should allow them to realize their mission.”

After debating for hours, the larger panel of justices decided unanimously that the petitioners’ points were valid. They agreed that there was not enough time for dozens of candidates to run campaigns when the Knesset lists have to be officially closed in about three weeks’ time.

Meanwhile, the primaries that will be held on Thursday for party chairman are still on course. Challenger Gideon Sa’ar and Netanyahu are crisscrossing the country, holding several campaign events each day to woo the pool of approximately 120,000 Likud members.

In the last primaries, held for the entire Knesset list before the February elections, 58 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots. It is unknown how many will come out for a leadership race that most believe Netanyahu will handily win.

In a concession to the expected stormy weather, the party’s election committee announced Tuesday that the voting hours have been expanded. Likud voters will be able to cast their ballots from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., with the vote count beginning immediately afterwards.