- Title: Netanyahu faces party leadership challenge ahead of March election
- Date: 26th December 2019
- Summary: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (DECEMBER 26, 2019) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** GIDEON SAAR, CHALLENGER OF PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU IN LIKUD PARTY PRIMARIES, ARRIVING AT POLLING STATION WITH HIS WIFE GEULA / SUPPORTERS CHANTING SAAR ENTERING BUILDING, SURROUNDED BY MEDIA SAAR CASTING BALLOT POLLING STATION STAFF (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) GIDEON SAAR, CHALLENGER OF PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU IN LIKUD PARTY PRIMARIES, SAYING: "I feel a great awakening (of voters) in the field, people understand that today there is a need for a change and God willing, together we will make this change today. Thank you very much." / SUPPORTERS CHANTING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE QUEUING UP TO VOTE POLLING STATION (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIKUD MEMBER, AMIT DRUKER, SAYING: "This is an important day because there hasn't been any (leadership) voting for this party for the past five years and there is a feeling of decay in the democracy from within the party and generally in Israel." MORE OF PEOPLE QUEUING UP TO VOTE (SOUNDBITE) (English) LIKUD PARTY MEMBER, LEON RIBINIK, SAYING: "I came here to vote today, I'm going to vote for the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. I'm voting because I think Saar's tactics of sitting on the bench and not trying to do anything active in the public field is wrong. I prefer people who take actions." MORE OF POLLING STATION
- Embargoed: 9th January 2020 10:32
- Keywords: Israel Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party Netanyahu's rival Gideon Saar leadership vote politics primaries
- Location: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL/ JERUSALEM
- City: TEL AVIV, ISRAEL/ JERUSALEM
- Country: Israel
- Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA001BBM3VIF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Israel's embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced a fresh challenge to his power on Thursday (December 26) as his Likud party held leadership primaries in the run-up to a national election, the country's third in under a year.
Netanyahu, head of Likud for the past 14 years, is widely expected to retain the right-wing party's leadership.
However, the challenge has added to pressures that have mounted this year on the four-term premier, who is under indictment and fighting for political survival.
In November, Netanyahu was charged for corruption in three criminal cases and he has twice failed to form a government in the wake of two inconclusive national ballots, held in April and September.
Netanyahu's centrist rival in those elections, Benny Gantz, was also unable to form a coalition government, which has led Israel to political deadlock and an unprecedented third election.
Netanyahu has cast the legal case against him as a political witch-hunt orchestrated by the media and the Israeli left in the hopes of ousting a popular right-wing leader.
Though the troubles of 'King Bibi' as he is nicknamed by his fans, do not seem to have dented the loyalty Netanyahu commands among his supporters, some Likud members have said it is time for fresh leadership.
His challenger in the party primaries, Gideon Saar, a former education and interior minister and a popular member of Likud, has said that the party is unlikely to regain power in the March 2 election unless Netanyahu steps aside.
Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister for more than a decade, has dismissed Saar's challenges, talking up his security credentials and international prowess.
Some 116,048 Likud members are eligible to vote in the party primary, though stormy weather could keep some of them at home. Results are expected by Friday morning (December 27).
(Production: Rami Amichy, Rinat Harash) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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