Likud officially sets leadership primary for December 26

The Likud Central Committee, the party’s main policy-making body, approves leadership primaries in a vote tonight and schedules them for December 26.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, beset by looming indictments in three criminal corruption cases, faces his first serious challenge in 14 years after Likud’s former no. 2 and popular ex-education minister Gideon Sa’ar announced last month he would challenge Netanyahu for party leader.

Sa’ar is the only declared challenger at the moment.

Sa’ar vowed yesterday to run a “positive, clean and substantive campaign that will present an agenda for Israel’s future. The country needs to turn a corner and end this ongoing political crisis, to establish a strong government and unite the people.”

The vote comes after Netanyahu supporter MK David Bitan started gathering signatures among Central Committee members earlier today on a resolution to cancel the proposed primaries.

Netanyahu called Bitan and asked that he stop, apparently fearing the effort to cancel the vote would make him look afraid to face Sa’ar.

“Likud is a democratic movement, and its members will decide who leads them,” Netanyahu’s campaign said in a statement earlier today. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is certain he will win their overwhelming support.”