Likud's legal adviser warns: 'The party primaries are in danger of being canceled'

The Likud party's legal adviser, attorney Ilan Bombach, asked to advance the hearing at the Tel Aviv District Court on the issue of canceling the 'districts clause', arguing that the primaries scheduled for August 17 are in danger of being canceled. The court rejected the request, and the hearing will take place on Monday. The background: the Likud court's decision that deputy ministers and ministers cannot run in the districts, and petitions about irregularities.

The Likud party is facing the danger of canceling its primaries, according to the party's legal adviser, attorney Ilan Bombach. Bombach filed a request today (Thursday) with the Tel Aviv District Court to advance the hearing on the issue of canceling the 'districts clause', arguing that if the hearing is not advanced, the primaries scheduled for August 17 are in danger of being canceled. In the reasons for the request, it was written that 'leaving the hearing date as is puts the holding of the early elections on time in danger, and may endanger the movement in making significant changes (at a huge financial cost of millions)'. The court rejected the request, and the hearing will take place as planned on Monday. The background to the dispute is the Likud court's decision that deputy ministers and ministers cannot run in the districts. This decision caused a great uproar within Likud, and that there would be fewer realistic places on the list for current MKs and ministers. Likud central committee members approved about a week ago Netanyahu and Chaim Katz's proposal, which would give the prime minister eight slots on the list, as well as the change to the primaries regulations. However, Katz's initiative to allow current ministers and MKs to run in the districts was approved only by a narrow majority, which led to many petitions claiming irregularities, forgeries, and the removal of observers from the polling stations. Netanyahu's slots are in places 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 23, 26, 29. According to the latest polls, two of the slot holders (places 26 and 29) are not expected to enter the Knesset, but six are expected to enter, and push out current MKs. The meaning: 23 seats, minus Netanyahu and the slots, leave a battle over 16 realistic places. MK David Bitan, one of the petitioners, welcomed the court's decision: 'I fought for the registered members, the candidates in the districts, the branch heads, and the conference members. I am happy with the decision, we fought for Likud democracy, which unlike the dictatorship parties is the movement of the people of Israel'.