Likud leader Netanyahu
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Erdan on top after dramatic day for Likud
Veteran minister beats out Knesset Chairman Yuli Edelstein for coveted second spot; Miri Regev upsets senior party figures to become the Likud's leading lady
The dramatic saga of the Likud primaries ahead of the 2015 elections – with a pitched battle for the faction's second spot behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – ended with Gilad Erdan as victor, and with two of the party's current MKs being pushed out of realistic spots on the electoral list.
The exhausting manual count of the ballots continued Thursday evening, but with more than 90 percent of the votes counted, the results are unlikely to change. Current Knesset Chairman Yuli Edelstein lost to Minister Erdan in the fight for the faction's coveted second spot.
Final Likud list
Substantially trailing the two was Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz, who took a political blow after announcing he would top the list in order to receive the Finance Ministry portfolio.
Erdan has served as a member of Knesset for over a decade, originally elected for the 16th Knesset. He has served in a variety of roles including the chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee, the ministerial liaison between the government and the Knesset, the environmental protection minister, and even a short stint as homefront defense minister.
In the previous Knesset, Erdan served as communications minister until he replaced interior minister Gideon Sa'ar, who resigned from the position.
One of the surprising results of the Likud primaries was MK Miri Regev exceeding expectations and catapulting to fourth place on the list – making her the leading female in the Likud.
Fourth place – Miri Regev (Photo: Yaron Brenner)
Regev, backed by retired minister Sa'ar, managed to place within the top five and make her mark as the most powerful woman in the Likud. Regev, who was placed on an election 'hit list', overcame stern opposition by relying on a strong ground game prepared ahead of the elections – despite pubic pressure from as high up as Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Regev aspires to become a minister in the next government; if Netanyahu again heads the coalition, he will have no choice but to appoint her. The former IDF Spokesperson upset two veteran ministers – Silvan Shalom and Moshe Ya'alon – as well as senior MKs Ze'ev Elkin, Tzachi Hanegbi, Danny Danon, Yariv Levin, Gila Gamliel, and Minister Yuval Steinitz.
Former Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter grabbed the final realistic spot on the national list, pushing out MK Tzipi Hotovely, who reached the 26th place on the list. The Likud's up-and-comer, who had hoped to be appointed minister, found herself on the margins of the Likud list.
The energetic MK did not expect such a result, but de facto did not garner enough support from the major branches of the moment, which may explain the embarrassing result.
Prime Minister Netanyahu succeeded in his fight to reserve two spots, with the party delegates permitting him to reserve the 11th seat and the 23rd.
