Jewish Home MK Yoni Chetboun said Wednesday morning that he and the other opponents of the party constitution proposed by Chairman Naftali Bennett have gathered the required signatures to force tonight's vote on the constitution to be a secret ballot.
"There is unrest on the ground, and I am sure that religious Zionism will say its piece today – 'no to a party of one man, yes to values and democracy,” Chetboun stated.
The current party constitution requires the signatures of one sixth of the Central Committee's 1,180 members present at the convention to force a secret ballot. Hundreds of signatures have already been secured – far more than the one-sixth required.
MK Chetboun called on central committee members: “do not buckle under pressure, do not be afraid to say 'no' to this divisive constitution.” He promised to lead a move for unity in the party immediately after the bid to change the constitution is repulsed.
Bennett wants the Jewish Home's list to include secular candidates and people who will appeal to the Russian-speaking and Druze sectors, among others.
The proposed constitution will allow Bennett to fill every fifth spot on the party's Knesset list with an external candidate based on his own discretion. It will give him the power to cancel for candidates of his choosing the 2.5 year membership qualification period to be on the party list, and let him select all placements for Knesset executive positions and ministerial posts. The party's central committee will be limited to approving the choices and not making them, as it currently does.