Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) announced its Knesset candidates on Monday. The party did not hold primary elections, but rather appointed a committee to choose and rank candidates. Party officials said primary elections would bias the race in favor of rich candidates and create animosity within the party.
The first and second slots had been reserved for party head Avigdor Lieberman and former Likud MK Uzi Landau respectively. In third through fifth place were current Knesset members Stas Misezhnikov, Yitzchak Aharonovitch and Sofa Landver.
In sixth is television hostess Orli Levy, daughter of former Foreign Minister David Levy. In seventh is Danny Ayalon, formerly Israel's ambassador to the United States. Next is MK David Rotem, followed by cable-channel news anchor and former Likud member Anastasia Michaeli and Yisrael Beiteinu's general-manager, Feina Kirschenbaum.
In the eleventh spot was MK Robert Ilatov, followed by Hamed Amar, Moshe Matalon, MK Lia Shemtov and MK Alex Miller. Yisrael Beiteinu currently has 11 seats, and is not expected to rise dramatically in the upcoming election.
MK Esterina Tartman and MK Yosef Shagal were noticeably absent from the top ten list. Upon learning that she was not realistically expected to enter the next Knesset, Tartman announced her resignation from the party.
'Israel Renews' Announces Party List
Another party published its party list on Monday—the “Israel Renews” list. The party is led by professor Michael Nudelman, formerly of Kadima and a current MK. It considers itself center-right politically, and is hoping to gain votes primarily from the Russian-speaking community.
Second on the list is economist Valerie Stark of Mad Park Ltd. Third is Attorney Yulia Spector, followed by journalist Alexander Vladman, with television manager Maria Obanov rounding out the top five.
In sixth through tenth place are Attorney Tal Linoi, economist Leonid Sverdlov, medical secretary Natalia Lihovitchkia, Kiryat Shemona city official Yaakov Ben-Tzion and party secretary Edward Blau.