Likud to hold primaries August 3; ex-Yamina MKs expected to get reserved slots

The Likud party decides overnight to hold primaries for its Knesset slate on August 3, some three months before the elections.

In addition, the party’s leadership agrees to grant its leader, Benjamin Netanyahu, the right to personally appoint several candidates — in slots 14, 16, 28, 37 and 43 of the slate.

According to assessments, Netanyahu is likely to reserve some of those slots for several defectors from the Yamina party who helped to bring down the Bennett-Lapid government — Amichai Chikli, Idit Silman and Nir Orbach — as well as former IDF general Gal Hirsch.

Likud had originally intended to hold a leadership primary as well, but the only member of the party who was in the running to replace Netanyahu, Yuli Edelstein, backed out of the race two weeks ago.

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