Rome, 22 June (LaPresse) – According to reports by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly abandoned plans to cancel the Likud primaries and replace them with a committee to nominate candidates for the Knesset, in exchange for eight to ten reserved places on the list for candidates of his choosing. According to some sources, Netanyahu is reportedly considering two options: replacing the primaries, scheduled for the end of July, with a selection committee that would effectively allow him to shape the party’s list of candidates; or securing the long-sought expansion of his powers to place up to 10 candidates of his choosing amongst the top 35 on the Likud list. Netanyahu’s decision came after MP David Bitan launched a public and legal campaign against attempts to replace the party’s primaries with a selection committee. Last night, the MP filed a petition with the Likud’s internal court to block any attempt to cancel the primaries, arguing that such a move would amount to a “constitutional coup”, depriving tens of thousands of party members of their right to choose their own representatives.
Israel: Netanyahu backtracks on the possibility of cancelling the Likud primaries
Rome, 22 June (LaPresse) – According to reports by the Israeli public broadcaster Kan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly abandoned plans to cancel the Likud primaries and replace them with a committee to nominate candidates for the Knesset, in exchange for eight to ten reserved places on the list for candidates of his choosing. According to some sources, Netanyahu is reportedly considering two options: replacing the primaries, scheduled for the end of July, with a selection committee that would effectively allow him to shape the party’s list of candidates; or securing the long-sought expansion of his powers to place up to 10 candidates of his choosing amongst the top 35 on the Likud list. Netanyahu’s decision came after MP David Bitan launched a public and legal campaign against attempts to replace the party’s primaries with a selection committee. Last night, the MP filed a petition with the Likud’s internal court to block any attempt to cancel the primaries, arguing that such a move would amount to a “constitutional coup”, depriving tens of thousands of party members of their right to choose their own representatives.
