All eyes on Bloomfield: After a day of battles, the Likud vote count has begun
75,177 people voted across 107 locations. Ballots are being transferred to the control center at the Jaffa stadium for a manual count. With limited spots on the list, candidates fought for their political survival, with results expected tomorrow morning.
After a day full of struggles and passions, the Likud primaries have moved to the Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa, where the party's war room was established to process the results for a complex manual count. Tens of thousands of ballots from 503 polling stations across 107 sites are being verified by local committees before being transferred to the control center for a final tally. Likud officials estimate that final results will be published only in the morning hours, noting that the list may hold surprises.
According to the party's announcement, the final turnout was 53.5%, representing 75,177 voters. This figure is considered lower than what senior party members expected, given the perceived significance of these elections and the intense competition for a limited number of spots. Several Knesset members and ministers spent the day managing the battle of their political lives.
For instance, MK David Bitan positioned himself at a polling station in Rishon LeZion and opened his own war room. Throughout the day, Bitan promoted a list of 12 recommended candidates and district representatives. In some cases, Bitan backed candidates in districts contrary to those supported by Benjamin Netanyahu. During the process, Bitan discovered that some were working to remove him from previously agreed-upon lists and deals, leading to heated arguments throughout the day.
A major question mark concerns Tali Gottlieb: both Benjamin Netanyahu's office and senior ministers were wary of her strength and attempted to moderate her influence. Some within Likud claim that Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies even preferred a lower turnout so that pre-arranged deals would dictate the list's composition, rather than the unpredictable votes of the general membership.
Minister of Transport Miri Regev also waged a significant battle, aspiring to maintain her position as the top-ranked woman and a spot at the top of the list. Regev spent long hours at the largest polling station at Binyanei HaUma in Jerusalem, speaking with dozens of members to ensure her name would appear prominently.
Concerns are particularly high among backbenchers, who know that their chances of securing a spot on a list already crowded with incumbent ministers are slim. Likud ministers conducted intensive field work today, traveling thousands of kilometers to visit polling stations with high voter turnout, showing their presence and engaging with activists.
A manual, time-consuming count of the envelopes is expected throughout the night. This follows Likud's decision to abandon planned electronic voting. According to party sources, after consultations with cybersecurity experts, concerns arose regarding potential foreign interference that could disrupt election results. Following these security and political concerns, the party opted to stick with the traditional manual method. Some in Likud suggested another reason for the rejection of digital voting: manual counting allows the Prime Minister to maintain tighter control over the list, as power remains with major recruiters. "With higher percentages, the gamble is greater; you end up with a list you don't necessarily know," they noted.
After polls closed at 21:00, Likud noted that the 53.5% turnout represents a 10% increase compared to the same time in previous primaries. In the 2022 primaries, voting was extended until 22:00, resulting in a 58% turnout with 79,750 members voting.
