Political Ego Rises in Mandates: Lessons New Party Leaders Must Internalize | Adv. Uriel Lynn

Adv. Uriel Lynn warns in an opinion piece against the phenomenon of 'Kalanterism' – selling mandates for personal favors – and cites the Shikli case. He calls on new party leaders to prevent defections from factions and preserve democratic decision-making, asserting that the head of the largest opposition party should be the candidate for prime minister.

In an opinion piece, Adv. Uriel Lynn addresses the 2026 elections and warns against the phenomenon of 'Kalanterism' – selling mandates for personal favors. He cites the case of Amichai Shikli, whom the Knesset Committee defined as a defector from his faction, but the Jerusalem District Court ruled he was not a defector, thereby allowing him to join the Likud faction and serve as a minister. Lynn explains that the law imposes sanctions on a defector, including a ban on joining in the next elections any of the factions that were in the Knesset, but there is a clause allowing joint lists. He calls on new party leaders to find a legal way to prevent MKs from defecting and disrupting democratic decision-making. According to him, whoever heads the largest party in the opposition bloc should be the candidate for prime minister.