Likud's primary election turnout has reached 30.52%, with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant casting his ballot, Channel 12 reports. Gallant, who was dismissed from his post in 2024 during the Swords of Iron war, voted at a polling station Monday evening.
Turnout in the Likud primary elections has risen to 30.52% Monday evening, with former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant casting his ballot, according to Channel 12. The figure marks an increase from the 26.44% recorded earlier when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted. Gallant's participation draws attention given his recent criticism of the party's reserved Knesset slots system.
Throughout the day, turnout steadily climbed from early levels. At 12:51, party data showed 10.7% participation, well below the same time in the previous primary. By 13:30 it reached 15% (21,284 voters), by 14:35 it hit 19% (26,000), and by 15:26 it stood at 22.5% with 32,005 votes cast. At 16:34 turnout was 26.44%, up about 1.4% from the 2022 primary, before Netanyahu voted. The latest 30.52% figure continues that upward trend.
Gallant, who was dismissed by Netanyahu in November 2024 during the Swords of Iron war, has been a vocal opponent of the reserved slot system within Likud. In an interview on Channel 12's 'Sheva' program, published by The Zioneer on August 11, he stated that a candidate who secures a reserved slot reveals his own assessment that he could not succeed in open primaries. His vote Monday comes amid ongoing internal party dynamics and heightened political competition.
Voting continues at 107 polling stations across the country, and final turnout figures may be updated as the evening progresses.
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