Some Likud lawmakers allege voter fraud in party’s primary

Several Likud members level allegations of voter fraud relating to their ongoing internal primary.

“Attention Likud voters! There are polling stations with fake ballots without my name!! Stay alert. Likud functionaries and vote brokers are panicking over the power of the free votes. Update me directly. A polling station with a fake ballot will be disqualified,” lawmaker Tally Gotliv claims in a post on X, referring to organized groups within the party that control blocs of votes.

Last month the Likud Central Committee significantly expanded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s control over the party’s Knesset slate, granting him the power to place eight people of his choosing in reserved slots among the top 29 places on the list — a number subsequently expanded to nine. The premier’s push for reserved slots was reportedly based on concerns that the primary could elevate candidates who are highly popular among the Likud base — including Gotliv, although she recently denied this in a conversation with The Times of Israel.

In a recent poll of more than 1,000 Likud members conducted by the Agam Institute, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana came in first, followed by Gotliv, the Maariv daily reported. While the survey offered a sense of the general mood among many Likud voters, it did not include those whose votes are determined by internal deals or bloc loyalties, which play a large role in determining the final tally.

In a follow-up video posted to X, Gotliv says that the primary is a “victory of the voters” over political operators and reiterates her call to Likud members to report ballots without her name as invalid.

In addition to Gotliv’s claim, the Ynet news site reports that a complaint has been filed with Likud party executive director general David Sharan asserting that paper ballots in Petah Tikvah misnumbered Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter.