Netanyahu Considers Shifting Reserved Spots on Likud Election List
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering moving Likud's reserved list spots from the 3rd and 9th positions to the second decade due to internal party pressure. The change requires official party approval.
Internal Party Pressure
Following internal pressure within the Likud party, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering moving two reserved spots (discretionary slots) at the top of the party list to the second decade. The slots in question are currently placed at numbers 3 and 9 on the list, but options are being examined to shift them to lower positions.
The move is being weighed amid pressure from Likud officials who wish to minimize the impact on the rankings of candidates chosen during the primary elections. At this stage, no final decision has been made, and any change to the reserved spots' placement will require the approval of the party's governing bodies.
Search for Candidates and Representation Gaps
The possibility of shifting the reserved spots comes as Benjamin Netanyahu must still decide on the identities of the candidates to fill them. As previously reported, Likud faces representation gaps among several sectors historically aligned with the party, including religious Zionism, residents of Judea and Samaria settlements, and IDF reservists. Additionally, there is currently no realistic representation on the list for Israelis of Ethiopian origin or immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
In an effort to find a candidate who could address several of these gaps simultaneously, the name of Yigal Brand has been raised. Brand is a Likud and Betar activist, a member of the religious Zionist and settlement communities, and a reserve officer who fought and was wounded in the war. Brand announced about three weeks ago that he was withdrawing his candidacy from the primaries.
Power Struggles
The selection process for the reserved slots is taking place under pressure from various power centers within Likud. Among others, municipal mayors representing the party previously raised the name of Ayelet Shaked, an option that is currently not expected to materialize. Concurrently, pressure is also being exerted by figures close to Netanyahu's immediate circle.
Now, alongside deciding who will receive the reserved spots, Netanyahu will also have to determine exactly where they will be placed on the list—as any change to the already approved slots will require re-approval by Likud party institutions.
