ISRAEL-POLITICS/NETANYAHU Netanyahu wins Likud nomination ahead of Israel general election

Record ID: 398896

  • Title: ISRAEL-POLITICS/NETANYAHU Netanyahu wins Likud nomination ahead of Israel general election
  • Date: 1st January 2015
  • Summary: ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS OF MEDIA CREWS SURROUNDING NETANYAHU (SOUNDBITE) (Hebrew) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU SAYING: "Likud members chose an excellent, balanced, experienced, responsible party list. A list that will help me to continue leading the country responsibly, confidently, successfully." MORE OF NETANYAHU TALKING (SOUNDBITE
  • Embargoed: 16th January 2015 12:00
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  • Location: Israel
  • Country: Israel
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA5SG1L4NDYZO0PRAYT0VZM7ZQU
  • Story Text: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was re-elected head of the right-wing Likud party, overcoming his first hurdle toward winning a fourth term in office in a March general election, results of a party primary published on Thursday (January 1) showed.
    Israeli opinion polls put Likud slightly behind left-of-centre Labour, giving the parliamentary contest a taste of unpredictability, but surveys still give Netanyahu the largest number of potential allies with whom to form a governing coalition, making his re-election seem more likely, for now.
    Netanyahu thanked party members at Likud headquarters in Tel Aviv after more than half the ballots were counted. He also congratulated political allies who secured top spots on the party's slate of candidates for the March 17 parliamentary poll, a result seen as enhancing his electability.
    "Likud members chose an excellent, balanced, experienced, responsible party list. A list that will help me to continue leading the country responsibly, confidently, successfully," Netanyahu said.
    Likud's list had the "right balance" to weather challenges by centrists and smaller parties, Netanyahu added, alluding to Likud breakaway Moshe Kachlon, whose pledges to cut prices threatens to divert rightist voters, and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's party popular with Russian immigrant voters.
    "We proved to the citizens of Israel that democracy beats dictatorship. Democracy in the Likud is much stronger than the dictatorship of "fad" parties that rise and fall like mushrooms," Netanyahu said, in a swipe at parties who he says just merely go with current hot issues and provide no real stance on specific issues.
    Likud officials have not yet formally published the results of Wednesday's primary election, but Netanyahu's sole contender, former defence minister and far-right lawmaker Danny Danon, conceded defeat soon after balloting ended and pledged his loyalty to Netanyahu.
    More than half of some 96,000 eligible voters cast ballots at 600 polling booths across Israel and occupied territory.
    An opinion poll published on Channel 10 television on Wednesday showed Netanyahu's Likud trailing by two parliamentary seats behind Labour led by Isaac Herzog, but also predicted other right-wing and religious parties more likely to team up with Netanyahu winning a larger majority than Labour's allies.
    Most surveys published in the past month have shown similar results. Some analysts see Netanyahu as potentially vulnerable to defeat if centrist parties focussing on hot button economic issues wind up swaying more voters over the next three months.
    In past elections, Israelis have focussed more on foreign and defence issues which may still prove decisive should there be an uptick in violence with Palestinians or other Arab neighbours before the election. Netanyahu is widely seen as having an edge over his competitors on foreign policy matters.
    Netanyahu, 65, is serving his third term of office, but his second consecutive term, after being elected in 2009 and again in 2013. His first term was in 1996, lasting through 1999.
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