The Likud's legal advisor, Attorney Avi Halevy, issued a legal opinion Tuesday evening stating that the election for the chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee does not require a secret ballot, despite a formal request submitted by one-tenth of Knesset members.
According to the opinion, the Likud faction currently includes members of Gideon Sa’ar’s party as well as Minister Ron Dermer, ensuring a majority in an open vote for the candidate backed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Minister Amichai Chikli sharply criticized the legal opinion, stating, “The Likud party has a clear constitution. Ten percent of the voting body can demand a secret ballot - just as occurred during the 2019 faction chair election between Ministers Miki Zohar and Yoav Kisch. The legal advisor who approved that process? The same one now claiming a secret ballot isn't necessary.”
“Today, five members of the voting body—more than ten percent—formally submitted a request for a secret ballot. Therefore, it is the only legal method for tomorrow’s vote. The purpose of a secret ballot is clear: to allow members to vote according to their conscience, without external pressure. Any distortion, legal maneuvering, or manipulation aimed at engineering a predetermined result is neither legal nor legitimate,” Chikli stressed.
Channel 12 News reported Tuesday that the Prime Minister recently offered MK Boaz Bismuth an ambassadorial post in a major European country in exchange for withdrawing his candidacy for the committee chairmanship. Bismuth reportedly declined the offer.
Earlier this week, Netanyahu reportedly reached an agreement with coalition chairman MK Ofir Katz to support MK Hanoch Milwidsky for the role. However, he has yet to officially endorse any candidate.
Meanwhile, representatives of the haredi parties informed Likud faction members that they, too, support MK Milwidsky’s candidacy for the committee chair position.