Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is advancing a new framework for the Likud list for the Knesset, aiming to change how the order is determined and reduce the party's dependence on primaries, according to journalist Amit Segal.
Under Netanyahu's proposal, an organizing committee that would include mayors and public figures would set the list order up to the 32nd spot, while the Likud chairman himself would be given the option to place seven candidates in reserved slots on his behalf.
It was also reported that the move comes against the backdrop of the resignation of seven party members during the current Knesset, alongside claims of irregularities in the membership register raised in the State Comptroller's report. Netanyahu argues that holding primaries costs about NIS 12 million and could encourage radicalization in candidate selection.
For the framework to take effect, it requires approval by a simple majority in the Likud's Constitution Committee, as well as approval by the party secretariat and the Likud convention.