Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly leading a series of intensive moves in an attempt to reshape the Likud party lists, in order to ensure maximum control and readiness for the upcoming elections in the Zionist entity, currently scheduled for October 2026.
Israeli Channel 12 reported that Netanyahu intends to submit a formal request to impose guaranteed electoral seats for at least five candidates on the Likud list in the primaries, with the original list to include ten names.
The report expected that that five of the candidates will be agreed upon.
According to the Israeli media outlet, this move aims to “intensify competition within the party” and “strengthen the Likud list.”
It aims at motivating the electoral base to vote, given Netanyahu’s conviction that the election battle is decided by mobilizing voters more than by persuasion, according to Israeli Channel 12.
The idea of imposing guaranteed seats comes as a result of Netanyahu’s feeling that his role in bringing seats to the party does not go hand in hand with complete control over the composition of the list, the channel reported.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (Kan) reported that circles close to Netanyahu hold intensive consultations to reorganize the coalition parties that will contest the upcoming elections.
It appears that the preferred option within Likud is a joint list between Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism, despite the public tension between Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, according to Kan.
On Wednesday, The Jerusalem Post reported that an internal Likud poll conducted in early January shows Netanyahu continues to command overwhelming support within the party, maintaining a wide lead over all other potential leadership candidates.
Source: Hebrew media (translated and edited by Al-Manar)