In a dramatic overnight ruling, the Likud Party’s Supreme Court overturned the party convention’s decision and ruled, by a 4–1 majority, that current and former Knesset members, ministers, and deputy ministers may not run in district races in the upcoming Likud primaries.

The ruling blocks a plan promoted by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Likud Constitution Committee chairman Chaim Katz to open district races to incumbent lawmakers, which had passed at the party convention by a narrow margin of just five votes.

The court based its decision on significant procedural flaws in the voting process, and, according to some of the judges, on a conflict with the Likud constitution and the principle of equality. The judges argued that allowing incumbent MKs to compete in district races undermines the principle of equal opportunity and the very purpose of the district system, which is intended to give new candidates a pathway into the Likud slate.

According to Maariv, the political implications are significant. Lawmakers who had hoped to compete in district races as an alternative to the crowded national list have now lost that option, while Netanyahu retains eight reserved positions that will allow him to shape the party’s final slate. However, the decision is a major blow to Netanyahu, who promoted the plan in order to satisfy the demands of incumbent MKs who now are likely to fall off the Likud list.

The ruling is a major boost for new and local candidates, who will no longer have to compete against well-known ministers and MKs with high public profiles and extensive political networks.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)