Eli Cohen holding top spot in Likud primary, with over 50% of vote counted

With 53 percent of the vote counted, Energy Minister Eli Cohen is set to win first place in the Likud party primary.

Cohen is trailed by Justice Minister Yariv Levin, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, Transportation Minister Miri Regev and coalition whip Ofir Katz.

The current results are as follows:

1. Eli Cohen
2. Yariv Levin
3. Amir Ohana
4. Miri Regev
5. Ofir Katz
6. Miki Zohar
7. Yoav Kisch
8. Almog Cohen
9. Amichai Chikli
10. Moshe Saada
11. David Amsalem
12. Tally Gotliv
13. David Bitan
14. Shlomo Karhi
15. Nir Barkat
16. Boaz Bismuth

Given that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has consistently been polling in the low 20s, and given that roughly one-third of the first 30 slots on the Likud list are reserved for candidates hand-picked by the premier, those who do not finish in the top 16 in the Likud primary are not expected to make it into the next Knesset.

If the current results hold, that would mean current ministers Ze’ev Elkin, May Golan, Idit Silman and Avi Dichter will be out of a job come October, along with current Likud MKs Hanoch Milwidsky, Keti Shitrit, Ariel Kallner, Amit Halevi and Nissim Vaturi.

While Intelligence Minister Gila Gamliel is not faring well, she is still leading the running for the last of three realistic spots on the Likud slate reserved for a woman, with Eti Atiya less than 100 votes behind.