Likud to recount primaries votes, again

The Likud party will once again recount votes for its primaries in dozens of polling stations around the country in order to settle a spat between MK Tzipi Hotovely and ex-MK Avi Dichter, both of whom claim to have won the 20th spot on the party list.

The recount comes at the request of Dichter, who was moved down to the 26th slot earlier this month after it was determined Hotovely received 36 more votes than he did, not fewer as had previously been thought.

The first recount came after some of the results for the two and for other candidates proved highly improbable. According to Channel 2, in Beit Jann, MK Tzachi Hanegbi received 250 votes — but only 197 Likud members had voted overall. Similarly, in Jerusalem, MK Yuli Edelstein received nearly a thousand votes, more than the number of voters at the station.

The Likud released its initial tally in the party primaries earlier this month, with Interior Minister Gilad Erdan and Knesset Speaker Edelstein taking top spots behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The Knesset slate was hailed by Netanyahu as “fantastic,” and saw most of his favored candidates placed in slots high enough to likely secure a Knesset seat, and the poor faring of most of those candidates he did not prefer. However, the list features only two women in the top 20 slots, and is low on Orthodox candidates and candidates favored by the settlement community, which could make Likud vulnerable to the Orthodox-nationalist Jewish Home party. Netanyahu may choose to address this when he appoints two candidates of his own choice for slots 11 and 23 later this month.

Army Radio reported Netanyahu was considering appointing either Hotovely or Dichter to the 11th slot, thus effectively promising both a realistic spot on the party list. However, Dichter has indicated he would oppose such a move as it would not reflect the public’s will.