Eli Cohen Leads Likud Primary Vote Count

Energy Minister Eli Cohen is currently leading the race in the Likud party's primary election, with preliminary results showing him in first place after more than half of the votes were counted.

As of Tuesday morning, with ballots from 302 out of 501 polling stations tallied, Cohen was ahead of other prominent party figures. Trailing Cohen were Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who secured second and third place, respectively. Other notable candidates in the top rankings include Transportation Minister Miri Regev and coalition whip Ofir Katz.

The Likud primary is crucial as it determines the party's electoral lineup for the upcoming Knesset. Given the Likud party's current polling numbers, which suggest a reduced number of seats in the next parliament, candidates need to finish within the top 16 positions to have a realistic chance of entering the Knesset. This is partly due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ability to handpick eight candidates for the top 30 slots, along with a reserved slot for Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Turnout for the primary was reported at 53.5% of the party's approximately 140,000 members, a slight decrease from the 58% turnout in the 2022 primary. The results mean that several current ministers and Knesset members are likely to lose their positions if the current standings hold. The election process underscores the Likud party's tradition of internal democracy, although recent changes have tightened the competition for available spots on the party list.