Likud primaries are to be held a week from Monday, on December 8. Among the 146 candidates are a mix of left- and right-leaning candidates.
Among those running for a spot on the Knesset list are 11 of the 12 incumbent Knesset Members; Binyamin Netanyahu’s #1 slot is reserved for him as party leader.
In addition, several former MKs are running, after having lost their seats in the last elections when the Likud was trounced by Kadima, and was left with less than a third of the 38 seats they won in the 2003 elections. Some of the former MKs now seeking their lost seats belonged to the anti-Disengagement camp, and they include Yechiel Hazan, Leah Ness, Ayoub Kara, Michael Ratzon, and Ehud Yatom.
Other former Likud MKs from the right side of the political spectrum who are now candidates are Benny Begin and Michael Kleiner, who ran together on the Herut list in the 2001 elections.
Latest polls give the Likud a 12-seat margin of victory over Kadima, 37-25.
Two MKs from other parties are now running on the Likud list: Eli Gabbai of the National Religious Party and Ze’ev Elkin from Kadima.
Former MKs who are not known for their right-wing opinions and who are running for a spot on the Likud list are: Daniel Ben-Lulu, Gila Gamliel, David Mena and Dan Meridor.
Yesha, Negev
Reserved slots are being saved for various geographical areas and population groupings. For the Judea and Samaria spot, for instance, Boaz Haetzni and Yossi Fuchs are facing off against each other. In the Negev, former Sderot Mayor Eli Moyal is running against six other candidates
Jerusalem, New Immigrants
Shmuel Sackett of the Jewish Leadership faction is running against ten other candidates (including MK Elkin) for the reserved spot for new immigrants. In Jerusalem, former Finance Ministry Director-General Shmuel Slavin is one of nine candidates.
Other well-known candidates include both left- and right-leaning personalities, such as Tal Brody, Assaf Cheifetz, Uzi Dayan, Moshe Feiglin, Tzipi Hutbuli, Ze’ev Jabotinsky, Yechiel Leiter, Yossi Peled, Miri Regev, Sefi Rivlin, Penina Rosenbloom, Zalman Shoval, and Moshe Yaalon.