Likud Court bars lawmakers from regional primary slots

The Likud Court has overturned a significant decision made at the party's convention last week, ruling that current and former lawmakers, ministers, and deputy ministers are ineligible to run in regional slots for the party's primaries. This decision thwarts a plan promoted by Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister Haim Katz, which had narrowly passed the convention by just five votes.

In addition to blocking elected officials from regional slots, the court mandated that the 35th position on the Likud list will revert to the national slate instead of being reserved for a woman. It also redefined an immigrant for guaranteed representation purposes as someone who moved to Israel after January 1, 1990, and extended the deadline for submitting candidacies by 48 hours.

Notably, the eight reserved slots granted to Netanyahu by the convention remain in effect, allowing him considerable influence in shaping the final party list. The court also addressed claims that Netanyahu had voted improperly, unequivocally rejecting them due to a lack of evidence and confirming the proper documentation of his vote.

The ruling, issued by an expanded panel of five judges after a lengthy hearing, has significant political implications. Lawmakers who sought regional slots as an alternative path to the national list have lost that option. The decision was primarily based on constitutional grounds, with a majority of judges finding that opening regional slots to serving officials fundamentally altered the Likud constitution's established rules.

The court stated that regional slots were intended to foster new leadership and provide fair competition for grassroots candidates. Serving lawmakers, conversely, benefit from public standing, which the court deemed contrary to the spirit of these regional positions.