Voters cast ballots as candidates fight for spots on party list | Israeli election breakdown
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As polling stations across Israel remain open until 9:00 p.m., approximately 140,000 registered members of the Likud party are casting their ballots to determine the composition of the party's next Knesset slate. Currently holding 32 seats, the Likud faces a challenging election landscape with public polls predicting a drop to between 22 and 24 seats by October. To secure its position, the party must fill roughly 15 available slots from a field of 124 candidates, nine of whom have already been handpicked by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, including Defense Minister Israel Katz. This internal contest is viewed as a critical indicator of the potential direction of the government and the specific brand of Likud that Netanyahu will lead following the general election.
The atmosphere at polling stations in Jerusalem reflects a high-stakes environment where politicians are actively campaigning for the final votes before polls close. Turnout so far stands at an estimated 43%, with about 61,000 members having voted out of the eligible population, though analysts expect this number to rise significantly as more people arrive. Prominent figures such as Miri Regev and Yariv Levin are seen shaking hands at the entrance, while Knesset member Amit Halevi continues his campaign efforts throughout the day. The primary serves a dual purpose: it allows party members to elect their own leadership within Likud and select the candidates who will represent them in the upcoming parliamentary election on October 27th, with the hope of assembling an experienced and ideologically firm team capable of winning enough seats to unseat opposition leaders.
Strategic maneuvering is evident as Prime Minister Netanyahu seeks to curate a list that avoids internal critics and extreme right-wing elements who might alienate centrist voters. This approach has led to reports of senior officials, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, attempting to join the far-right Otzma Yehudit party just before the primaries, highlighting the intense competition for limited spots. Analysts note that Netanyahu is a master of managing these dynamics, likely using his hand-picked spokespeople to control the party's narrative while hiding less favored candidates. The outcome of this primary could significantly impact the general election results, as the inclusion or exclusion of specific firebrand right-wingers could shift enough votes to change the balance of power in the Knesset.
Ultimately, the Likud primaries represent a celebration of democratic process within the party, even as it faces the reality of shrinking political influence. While some members may be on vacation or less engaged, the presence of thousands of voters underscores the importance of this internal election for the party's future strategy. The results, expected to emerge after midnight, will reveal which candidates secure safe spots and which face elimination, setting the stage for a general election where every seat counts. As the day concludes, the focus remains on how these membership choices will shape the party's message and electoral prospects in the coming weeks leading up to the October vote.
Read the full video transcript
It's judgement day in the Likud as
candidates compete for the shrinking
number of realistic slots on the party's
next Knesset slate. Polls remain open
for another hour until 9:00 p.m. Israel
time for some 140,000
registered Likud members to cast their
ballots. Currently Likud holds 32 seats,
but public polling puts the party at
just 22 to 24 in October's election.
Nine slots have already been reserved,
eight handpicked by Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, plus an additional
place for Defense Minister Israel Katz.
That leaves 124 candidates now vying for
roughly 15 seats. It has been a closely
watched contest as it offers a real
indication of the kind of Likud and
potentially the kind of government that
Netanyahu could be leading after
October.
Let's go live to Jerusalem now where our
i24 News correspondent Joe Brown has
been reporting all day from one of the
polling stations.
Joe, polls are supposed to close in
about 1 hour. Let's start with what the
turnout has been so far.
>> Well, so far the turnout is estimated to
be at 43%. This was announced about 30
minutes ago and that number is going to
rise rapidly. That's 61,000 of the
roughly 140,000 eligible Likud members
who could vote. Now, in total they're
expecting between 50 and 55. That's how
it's been over the last couple of
primaries, but this time at the moment
the number is a bit lower, but as you
can see behind me, there's still a lot
of people who haven't cast their ballots
yet and they are still waiting to do so.
>> It's certainly a packed house where you
are, Joe. What are you hearing from some
of these Likud members? What are the
main concerns that they're carrying with
them into the voting booth?
>> Well, I want to show you something
because this is quite interesting. If
you look at the entrance to the ballot
station, you can see there is a line or
I hope you can see because of the amount
of people that are there. So, there is a
line of politicians. Uh at the front of
it is uh Miri Regev, Yariv Levin. They
have been trying to get as many
handshakes as they can. Just final bits
of campaigning. At the very, very front
is the uh member of the Knesset, uh Amit
Halevi. And I spoke to him earlier, and
he said that he wasn't worried about the
fact that there are now much fewer
spaces available on the Likud list, as
you mentioned. But, he has been on his
feet stood there shaking hands trying to
get the last couple of votes from people
for as long as I've been here, even
longer in fact. So, that's all day he's
been doing this. That is not the sign of
somebody who has no fear. But, they do
have every right to be worried because
the reason why Benjamin Netanyahu
decided to add the amount of uh people
who are reserved on the list tripled it
from three to in total nine is because
he did not want to have people who are
in the party who were going to be
critical of him, perhaps even launching
a leadership bid against him. And he
wanted to stop the rise in firebrands
right-wingers who would turn off
centrist voters. One of those uh
right-wing firebrands is right behind
me. I think she might have just gone.
Tally Gotliv. She is one of the most
popular members in Likud. In the most
recent poll of Likud members, she came
out in second place as to the uh most
popular politicians other than Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In first
place though, interestingly, was the
speaker of the Knesset, Amir Ohana, who
is also somewhere behind me. I did
manage to speak to him earlier. He is
likely going to be one of the roughly 15
to 20 safe spaces on the Likud slate.
But, I asked him whether he had any
worries for his colleagues, a lot of
whom their political careers will die
tonight. Here's what he said.
>> The Likud members enjoy a democratic
party within Likud.
They get to elect who gets to be the
leader of Likud. They already chose
Netanyahu and who gets to be the members
of Knesset.
And
this is a very
crucial decision because it will impact
the
winning that we hope to achieve on
October 27th. We need a very well
experienced
team
that is very ideological, very firm,
very determined and I trust the good
voters to do that.
>> Well, you are certainly in the center of
all of the action, Joe. Thank you for
bringing us this ongoing coverage
throughout the day live from the polling
center in Jerusalem. Thank you.
I want to bring this conversation in
studio now. I'm joined by political
analyst Gil Hoffman. Gil, thanks for
being with us tonight. A lot still
unfolding as we speak. We likely won't
have the results from these Likud
primaries until well after midnight, but
once we do get those numbers in, what
are you going to be looking out for?
>> I'm going to be looking at two things
there, Nicole. Number one, are these
people who are close to Netanyahu are
going to be supporting him or are they
going to be giving him headaches? And
are these people uh members of Knesset
who are seen as so right-wing that they
might scare off some voters to center's
parties
which could shift a seat or two which
could be enough for the other side to
get 61 and unseat Netanyahu. Uh that's
what the other side is looking for.
They're getting ready to see who they
could criticize much the same way that
Likud did when the Democrats party
furthest to the left had their primary.
>> What should we make of the voter turnout
so far? We're still getting the numbers
in and a lot can even happen in the next
hour. They might even extend
when they close the polls if a lot of
people show up there, but what does this
say about how people want their voice to
be heard within the party?
>> I you have to give them the benefit of
the doubt there, Nicole. You know, this
is a celebration of democracy. It's one
of the last primaries that's going to be
like this with politicians actually
there shaking hands and kissing babies.
It's eventually going to all be online.
And so right now you've got a
politicians are handing out popsicles,
handing out candy with a picture of the
politician on it like the good old days.
And so the the turnout it's August. Some
people are on vacation. Some people
don't really care. You know, but
more than half are going to be voting
like always. And anything can happen.
That's why it's so fun.
>> So what happens if Tally Gotliv or
another candidate that Netanyahu would
prefer lower on the list ends up higher
on the list from these membership votes?
How will that impact Netanyahu's party
message heading into the October
elections?
>> Well, he certainly won't let her speak
for the party or at least try not to.
You know, he has his hand-picked
spokespeople and and he tries his best
to hide the others and then the other
side then will put her in their campaign
commercials. Netanyahu is the master of
these primaries. You know, I remember a
primary where he came straight from
America and he had an an air-conditioned
caravan while all the other politicians
were out there sweating. He would go
back inside and shower and change his
suit every half hour and look like a
million bucks. No matter what happens in
this primary, he's going to make his
list look as good as possible even if it
really doesn't.
>> Well, even ahead of these primaries,
National Security Minister Itamar
Ben-Gvir in an interview, he claims that
eight senior Likud officials, they asked
to join Otzma Yehudit just on the eve of
these primaries. Now, he denied their
request, but what does this indicate
about the mindset of even the Likud
ministers and MKs in this primary?
>> That there are as you pointed out a lot
of candidates for very few seats. 40
ministers and members of Knesset are
fighting over 15 seats.
Lot makes sense they would look for a
contingency plan, but the but the to
join that far right a party, that's
something that I'm sure the critics of
Netanyahu are pocketing to use at the
right time to criticize that. But, don't
be surprised though. There's one
minister in Likud. Her name is May
Golan. She was in Otzma Yehudit before.
She could go back there and don't be
surprised if Ben Gvir actually takes
>> All right, things that we will certainly
be looking out for in the early morning
hours of tomorrow, it seems. Gil
Hoffman, thank you for this breakdown.