Likud MK David Bitan on Sunday filed an urgent petition to the Likud party court demanding the cancellation of any move to replace primaries with an arranging committee, arguing the plan disenfranchises tens of thousands of party members. The petition calls the move a "constitutional grab" in violation of the party's constitution, according to Israeli media.
MK David Bitan (Likud) on Sunday morning filed an urgent petition with the Likud party court, seeking to block the proposed cancellation of party primaries and their replacement by an internal arranging committee. In the petition, Bitan argued that the move constitutes a "constitutional grab" that would strip tens of thousands of Likud members of their right to elect the party's Knesset slate, in violation of the party's own constitution and prior court rulings.
Bitan was quoted as saying: "The Likud was and will remain a democratic party. You cannot deny tens of thousands of registered members their right to elect their Knesset representatives a month before primaries and change the rules of the game mid-play. I believe in Likud members and their right to decide — not in an appointed committee."
As The Zioneer reported on Wednesday, Likud Constitution Committee chairman Haim Katz had summoned the committee for a Tuesday meeting aimed at forcing a decision on holding primaries, amid internal tensions over the push by some factions to bypass them. The petition by Bitan — a senior Likud figure and coalition member — represents a direct challenge to that push from within the party's own ranks. The party court will now rule on whether to grant an injunction halting the arranging committee move.
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