Shaked is top vote-getter in Jewish Home primaries

With most of the votes in the Jewish Home party primaries tallied, MK Ayelet Shaked won a significant coup Thursday, taking first place in the election and securing for herself the third seat in the party list in the upcoming Knesset.

The secular Shaked, a freshman politician in the last elections who has led the party’s drive to present a more secular and modern image, was trailed by Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Eli Ben Dahan, Knesset Finance Committee chief Nissan Slomiansky and Pensioners Affairs Minister Uri Orbach.

The top two seats were reserved for party leader Economy Minister Naftali Bennett and Tekuma faction head Uri Ariel, who serves as housing and construction minister, giving Shaked the third seat on the final Knesset roster.

Former Yesha Council leader Dani Dayan, who recently threw his hat in the ring with the right-wing party, took 12th place in the primary overall, but will be relegated to 21st place in the final list once reserved slots are taken into account, giving him slim odds of winning a seat in the Knesset.

The right-wing nationalist Jewish Home party is projected by most polls to get about 15 seats in the upcoming March 17 elections.

The party recently came under fire over a video in which members spoke out against equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.

Roughly 60% of eligible Jewish Home party members, close to 44,000 people, cast their votes for the party’s Knesset slate Wednesday.