The Likud party court ruled Friday that the party's Central Committee must convene this Thursday to vote on the primaries regulations, approving a petition filed by Tel Aviv District candidate Dor Harlef. The court stated that if the Constitution Committee does not adopt regulations by Tuesday 13:00, the Central Committee will vote on the 2022 regulations, and the prime minister may submit his own proposed regulations.
The Likud party court on Friday accepted a petition demanding that the party's Central Committee convene to approve primaries regulations, advancing the internal battle over the candidate-selection process. The ruling, in response to a petition by Dor Harlef, a candidate in the Dan-Tel Aviv district, orders the Central Committee to meet this coming Thursday. It gives the party's Constitution Committee — which has been unable to agree on regulations — until Tuesday at 13:00 to adopt a framework; failing that, the Central Committee will vote on the 2022 regulations, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is authorized to bring his own competing proposal. The decision effectively frees Netanyahu from dependence on party operatives for reserved slots (shiryonim).
The ruling is the latest in a series of internal Likud legal and political moves over the past month. The Constitution Committee had previously set primaries for August 4, but procedural disputes over the regulations continued. A separate petition by Harlef last week sought to force approval by July 2. The party court's Friday decision gives a clear timeline and empowers the prime minister to bypass an intractable committee. The development still requires formal implementation; the Central Committee vote on Thursday will determine which regulations govern the slate.
As The Zioneer reported, the Constitution Committee had postponed its debate as recently as Sunday amid legal shifts and a related Jerusalem District Court hearing. The party court's latest ruling sharpens the confrontation between Netanyahu and party middlemen over control of the candidate list.
2 developments
- StrongLikud Constitution Committee summoned for Tuesday; chairman Haim Katz moves to force primaries
- DevelopingLikud hopeful files court petition demanding primaries regulations by July 2
- DevelopingLikud Constitution Committee to meet Sunday to discuss primaries and reserved slots
- StrongLikud Constitution Committee unanimously confirms August 4 primaries
Source and signal
- Internal intake