The Likud Constitution Committee will convene on Sunday to decide on the format of the party’s primaries and the reserved spots requested by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to a report in Ynet, Netanyahu is guaranteed to receive eight reserved spots in the top 30 positions, four of which are earmarked for a potential technical merger with the Religious Zionist party.
The report indicates that if Netanyahu decides to maximize the right-wing bloc’s strength and presses Minister Bezalel Smotrich to agree to a deal where the Religious Zionist party does not run independently, he intends to offer him four reserved slots in highly realistic positions on the Likud list.
Two outlines will be presented to the Likud Constitution Committee on Sunday. The first is Netanyahu’s proposal, which retains standard primaries alongside eight reserved slots for the Prime Minister. The second is the "Ministers' Outline," which proposes establishing an Arrangements Committee to assemble the slate, granting eight reserved spots to the Prime Minister, and electing regional representatives via primaries - a track where sitting MKs would also be eligible to run.
It appears likely that if an Arrangements Committee is established, it will be headed by the Mayor of Bat Yam, Tzvika Brot. Serving alongside him on the committee are expected to be prominent Likud mayors and municipal leaders, including Haim Bibas, Ronen Plot, Beni Biton, Yakov Peretz, and Shai Hajaj.
Both options represent favorable outcomes for Netanyahu, as he would welcome the establishment of an Arrangements Committee without having to formally request it himself.