Likud primaries: court upholds ban on ministers and MKs

The District Court rejected a petition by Likud MK Afif Abed, upholding the ban on current and former lawmakers, ministers, and deputy ministers from running in party primaries through regional branches. Abed sought to challenge the decision of the Likud party court, which prohibited politicians holding or previously holding these positions from running in the regions. The ruling noted that during the vote, a discrepancy of five votes was found between the number of voters and the number of ballots cast. With such a narrow margin, this error could have affected the outcome. The court also stated that current lawmakers and ministers inherently have an advantage over other candidates, and their participation in the race for regional seats would violate the principle of equality.