After a long and dramatic night at Bloomfield Stadium, the vote count in the Likud primaries was completed Tuesday morning. The results showed a largely stable leadership tier, alongside several major surprises and sharp declines for some senior party figures.

The clear winner of the primaries was Minister Eli Cohen, who finished comfortably in first place, more than 3,000 votes ahead of Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Ohana secured second place, narrowly edging out Justice Minister Yariv Levin, who finished third in the nationwide primary.

They were followed by Minister Miri Regev, who finished as Likud’s highest-ranking woman by a wide margin, and MK Ofir Katz, who scored one of the night’s biggest surprises by breaking into the top five.

Two candidates in particular surprised Likud members: Ofir Katz and Almog Cohen. Katz, chairman of the Likud Knesset faction, overtook a number of veteran ministers to secure a high position in the nationwide primary despite not serving as a minister. After Netanyahu’s reserved slots are factored in, Katz is expected to appear around 10th place on Likud’s Knesset slate.

Former Otzma Yehudit MK Almog Cohen also scored an impressive result. The deputy minister, who was competing in a Likud primary for the first time and launched his campaign only days before the vote, broke into the top ten, finishing ahead of a long list of veteran ministers and MKs.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Minister Miki Zohar, Minister Amichai Chikli and Minister Dudi Amsalem also finished near the top of the rankings.

MK Moshe Saada opened the second group of ten candidates, also emerging from the primary with a strong showing.

One of the most striking results was the steep decline of Minister Nir Barkat. After years as a fixture near the top of Likud’s rankings, Barkat fell deep into the second ten and came dangerously close to losing a realistic spot once Netanyahu’s reserved slots and district positions are factored in. Barkat narrowly won over Ze’ev Elkin, winning 16th place in the nationwide primary, considered at this stage to be the last realistic position. Once reserved and district slots are incorporated, that ranking is expected to translate to approximately 24th place on Likud’s Knesset slate.

Tally Gotliv also finished considerably lower than some early projections had predicted. During the campaign, some estimates placed her near the top of the rankings and suggested she could compete to become Likud’s highest-ranking woman. Instead, Regev finished far ahead of her, while Gotliv placed around 12th in the nationwide primary.

Another close contest was between Minister Gila Gamliel and MK Eti Atia for the third women’s slot. The margin between them remained extremely narrow, with Gamliel holding the lead.

MK Amit Halevi also finished in that range, near the bottom of the second ten in the nationwide rankings.

MK Boaz Bismuth, who had hoped to break into the top ten and ran an intensive campaign, finished around 15th place. Throughout the night, he was locked in a close race with MK David Bitan, with the two repeatedly trading places. Bitan, who has been among the most prominent Likud figures to clash with Netanyahu in recent months, is nevertheless expected to retain a realistic spot.

Other candidates in this range include Shlomo Karhi, Nir Barkat and Ze’ev Elkin.

The biggest drama, however, was at the bottom of the list. Three incumbent ministers — May Golan, Idit Silman and Avi Dichter — are expected to find themselves outside the realistic spots on Likud’s slate for the next Knesset.

Also currently outside the realistic range are MKs Avichai Boaron, Chanoch Milwidsky, Keti Shitrit, Ariel Kallner, Sasson Guetta, Nissim Vaturi and Shalom Danino.

May Golan’s situation is particularly noteworthy amid speculation that Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir could offer her a place on his party’s slate if she ultimately fails to secure a realistic position in Likud.

Because Netanyahu is entitled to reserve nine slots through 30th place, in addition to the district slots, the primary rankings do not correspond directly to candidates’ final positions on Likud’s Knesset slate.

According to the current projections, the top of the slate is expected to be:

1. Binyamin Netanyahu
2. Eli Cohen
3. Netanyahu reserved slot
4. Netanyahu reserved slot — Yisrael Katz
5. Netanyahu reserved slot — Gideon Sa’ar
6. Amir Ohana
7. Yariv Levin
8. Miri Regev
9. Netanyahu reserved slot
10. Ofir Katz
11. Netanyahu reserved slot — Oren Dobronsky
12. Yoav Kisch
13. Miki Zohar
14. Almog Cohen
15. Netanyahu reserved slot
16. Amichai Chikli
17. Dudi Amsalem
18. Netanyahu reserved slot — Haim Katz
19. Moshe Saada
20. Tally Gotliv
21. Shlomo Karhi
22. Boaz Bismuth
23. David Bitan
24. Nir Barkat
25. Gila Gamliel

Positions further down the slate could still shift depending on final adjustments, reserved slots and district placements.

A total of 75,177 Likud members cast ballots in the primaries, representing 53.5% of eligible voters. Turnout was lower than some senior party officials had expected, particularly given the intense competition for a relatively small number of realistic spots.

After the polls closed, the results were transferred to Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa, where Likud established its election command center. Results from polling stations streamed in throughout the night as the counting and data-entry process continued.

Following the completion of the count, Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister was “very pleased with the results of the Likud primaries” and congratulated those elected to the slate.

“The new Likud slate reflects renewal and the integration of new forces at the top of the list,” the statement said. “Together with the candidates Prime Minister Netanyahu will appoint to the reserved slots, who will further strengthen the slate, the Likud team under Netanyahu’s leadership will lead to a major victory and the establishment of a broad national government immediately after the elections.

“This is the only way to prevent a left-wing government of Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Liberman and the Arab parties.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu thanks the Likud members who voted according to common sense and not according to deals.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu also greatly appreciates those who did not succeed in entering the slate, thanks them for their contribution and intends to integrate them into efforts toward a Likud victory.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)