Meretz members vote to block party MK from seeking reelection

Left-wing party’s convention upholds clause that bans former secretary-general Mossi Raz from running for Knesset seat

By ToI Staff 24 December 2018, 12:48 pm

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Meretz lawmaker Mossi Raz, pictured at the Knesset in Jerusalem on October 23, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The internal committee for Meretz voted Sunday to block lawmaker Mossi Raz from running for a spot in the left-wing party’s slate for the upcoming Knesset.

Raz needed at least 60 percent of party members to vote to overturn a clause in the party’s constitution that states that a secretary-general cannot seek a place on the party’s list in subsequent elections.

Three hundred and thirteen members voted to overturn the clause, while 230 voted to uphold it, giving Raz 57% of the convention’s support — three percentage points shy of the required amount.

Raz took over as Meretz secretary general after the 2015 elections. He then took Zehava Galon’s Knesset seat after she stepped down in 2017 in order to campaign for open primaries in the party.

While Galon won that battle, she later bowed out of the race for party head and was replaced by Tamar Zandberg.

Responding to the Sunday vote, Raz tweeted, “The Meretz convention has harmed Meretz… I will always remain true to my values and will consider my next path.”