Likud primaries to be held in August

Party's Central Committee okays Netanyahu's proposal to push elections forward to August 14
Attila Somfalvi

The Likud Central Committee approved Tuesday party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu's proposal to push forward the internal elections, and decided that the primaries would be held on August 14. If a second round is required, it will take place a week later, on August 21.

 

Following MK Silvan Shalom's withdrawal from the race for Likud leader Monday, the only other contender against Netanyahu is Moshe Feiglin, head of the extreme-rightist Jewish Leadership faction of the party.

 

During their meeting at the Tel Aviv convention center, Netanyahu told the Central Committee members that "we believe that we can take the country out of the mud, we can take a different road."

 

At a press conference Monday, MK Shalom slammed Netanyahu for the decision to push up the primaries without enabling the other candidates to prepare a campaign; he accused the chairman of aggressiveness and opportunism, and compared the Likud to the Syrian Baath party.

 

Netanyahu's aides responded by saying that Shalom knew he would crash in the primaries, and was only looking for excuses for his withdrawal.