The Religious Zionism party is set to discuss chairman Bezalel Smotrich’s proposal to change the party's primaries system.
If Finance Minister Smotrich's decision is adopted, party members will no longer be able to select their party's candidates, and authority will be transferred instead to a smaller forum of about 150 party activists.
On Wednesday evening, members of the party’s central committee will convene for a toast, with some voices already expressing opposition to the chairman’s decision.
In the last elections, the party list was formed by the central committee through digital primaries in which some 20,000 registered members were invited to participate. Minister Bezalel Smotrich had praised the process and the democratic manner in which his party operated.
Now, apparently in light of the party’s weakness in the polls — with some surveys showing it not crossing the electoral threshold — Smotrich is seeking to set the list through a mechanism he would build, similar to other parties largely controlled by their leader.
A party source told Arutz Sheva - Israel National News that the party needs renewal in its ranks in order to try to secure a stronger position in the political system ahead of the next elections, the date of which has not yet been set. The source noted that Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter could possibly lead the party to significant achievements, though no talks are currently being held between the sides.