With the party's future uncertain following the departure of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and the imminent departure of several more members, new Yamina leader Ayelet Shaked is faced with the daunting task of ensuring that the party crosses the electoral threshold with at least three of its Knesset members choosing to remain on the party's list -- otherwise, Yamina will lose its Knesset pre-election funding.
As things currently stand, Idit Silman and Nir Orbach will be leaving for secure positions on the Likud party list, their reward for helping to topple the outgoing government. Matan Kahana seems set to join the Blue & White party headed by Defense Minister Benny Gantz rather than Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope, pursuing the dream of a "broad unity government" both Kahana and former Yamina leader and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett see as essential for the future of the country.
Remaining in Yamina are only Shaked, Shirley Pinto, and Abir Kara, enough to secure funding but possibly not enough to enter the next Knesset, with recent polls showing Yamina hovering around the four-seat mark which is the minimum needed to acquire Knesset seats (translating to around 3.25 percent of the population).
According to reports, Shaked, currently Interior Minister, will be focusing her election campaign on the Religious-Zionist sector (even though she is secular), presenting Yamina's achievements over the past year -- transferral of budgets to religious educational institutions and approvals for the construction of thousands of new housing units in Judea and Samaria.
Deputy Minister Abir Kara will lead a campaign focused on the economy in which he will present the achievements of the outgoing government which benefited business owners. MK Shirley Pinto (who is deaf) will present the plans the party plans to implement on behalf of people with special needs.
During the few months until the election date, now set for November 1, Shaked reportedly plans to "storm" the public arena to ensure Yamina crosses the electoral threshold. "There is no reason why those who previously voted Yamina should not do so again," she has said.