Following the conclusion of the Likud Party Convention voting, attorney Yair Gabai, a candidate competing in the Jerusalem district primary, filed the first formal legal challenge with the Likud Internal Court regarding newly approved primary regulations.
The petition focuses on a disputed provision that allows incumbent Knesset members, cabinet ministers, and deputy ministers to run in slots reserved for regional electoral districts.
Constitutional Validity and Equality Concerns
The motion seeks an immediate injunction to void the decision and prohibit its application in the upcoming internal election.
Gabai argues that the proposal failed to reach the required constitutional majority needed to alter Likud's internal bylaws. The measure passed by a narrow five-vote margin during the party convention, with 1,678 votes in favor and 1,673 opposed, prompting immediate expectations of legal action from party members.
In addition to procedural grounds, the petition claims the rule creates an unfair advantage that violates equal opportunity standards for non-incumbent candidates.
"Incumbent public officials enter the race with broad public exposure, state-funded budgets, and established political networks",the petition states, arguing that new regional candidates are forced to compete against experienced politicians under unequal conditions for a limited number of spots on the electoral list.
