Likud primary to take place January 6
Last-minute compromise reached after party infighting between prime minister and Knesset
Just before the Likud Central Committee's meeting scheduled for Sunday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Danny Danon reached an agreement on the timing of internal elections to the party's list.
It appears that the primaries will take place on January 6, while voting on changes in the Basic Law will occur separately on December 25.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Danny Danon had continued to butt heads until nearly the last minute regarding the timing of an election to determine who will head the party.
Netanyahu hadexpressed a wish to hold a snap election as early as December, while the two candidates expected to run against him – Danon and MK Moshe Feiglin – were opposed to the proposal, which they described as opportunistic.
Netanyahu and Danon attempted to break the impasse at a meeting the week before, but produced no results.
Danon had proposed a date of January 28. "Without elections, it's unclear why the prime minister is in a hurry to hold primaries for the head of the list," he said.
But it's not just the date that caused consternation.
Ahead of the 20th Knesset election, Netanyahu requested a change in the Basic Law that would allow the party leader to install one candidate for every tenth spot on the list, with a total of three of these reserved spots. This proposal caused severe agitation within Likud, with some MKs vehemently opposed.
While Netanyahu claimed that the proposed change would lead to a more diverse list for Knesset, party members argued against it. Netanyahu asked to make the change on the same day as the primaries, fueling further opposition.
"I'll fight any opportunism and initiatives that will harm Likud's democracy," vowed Danon, the committee's chairman.
