Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu has approved waivers to the party's membership seniority requirement for Almog Cohen, Ze'ev Elkin, Shay Kalech, and Dror Kapah.
The decision allows the four to compete in the Likud primaries despite not meeting the minimum membership period required under the party's bylaws.
By contrast, Hadar Muchtar was denied a similar waiver. As a result, unlike the other four candidates, she will not be eligible to run in the Likud primaries through this mechanism.
A seniority waiver in Likud is a special exemption that allows new party members to compete in the primaries without completing the standard qualifying period required for membership.
The mechanism enables the party to incorporate new candidates or prominent public figures into its list without requiring them to wait through the usual eligibility period.