A recount of votes in the Likud primaries could alter the party’s electoral slate and push Science and Technology Minister Gila Gamliel, one of the party’s veteran lawmakers, out of the Knesset, as allegations of vote-rigging and irregularities roiled the ruling party on Wednesday.
According to Hebrew media reports, a recount of ballots from the central city of Be’er Yaakov on Tuesday night indicated that backbench MK Etty Atia, a close political ally of Minister Haim Katz, the Likud Central Committee chairman, had overtaken Gamliel.
That would potentially give Atia the 25th spot on the party slate at the expense of Gamliel, who would be pushed down to the 35th slot. The party is expected to win around 25 seats in the October 27 election, according to recent polls.
Likud was expected to announce the final results on Thursday after considering appeals.
The original results published after last week’s primaries gave Gamliel 22,087 votes to Atia’s 21,633. Due to Likud’s complicated slate rules, including slots reserved for women and an unusually large number of candidates chosen by party leader Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Gamliel was assigned the 25th position while Atia was left further down the list.
