JERUSALEM: Members of Israel’s ruling rightwing Likud began voting yesterday for their party leader with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seeking another term at the helm ahead of snap elections in March. The primary, in which 96,651 members are eligible to vote, is the first electoral hurdle for Netanyahu who is hoping to secure a third consecutive term in office.
Political analysts say Netanyahu is expected to win the party vote in the face of a single challenger, Danny Danon, a former deputy defence minister and outspoken member of Likud party’s far-right fringe. Members were also voting to determine the frontrunners on the party list for Israel’s March 17 general election.
The primary polls opened at 9:00 am (0700 GMT) with voters casting their ballots at 115 locations across Israel and settlements in the occupied West Bank and annexed east Jerusalem.
Halfway through the day, turnout stood at 20 percent, officials said, with polling stations expected to close at 10:00 pm (2000 GMT). Results are not due out before 0300 GMT today.
Casting his ballot at a polling station in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said the party must unify in the face of threats from the left.
AFP
