Explainer

A Few Brief Facts about the Primaries for Selecting The Democrats' Knesset Candidate List

July 20, 2026 | Written By: Prof. Ofer Kenig

Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90

The Israeli Labor Party was the first major party to adopt primaries - a system in which all registered party members have the right to vote - to select its Knesset candidate list. This happened ahead of the 1992 elections. Since then, Labor has been the only party to use this method continuously. (Likud used primaries in 1996, but in the following three elections it reverted to a less inclusive method, selecting candidates through the party's Central Committee.) The Democrats, the name of Labor's new political framework together with Meretz, are adhering to this democratic tradition and will determine their list through primaries.
More than 112,000 registered party members will be eligible to choose The Democrats' list. After a long period in which the number of Labor Party members declined almost continuously - a decline that took place alongside the party's weakening electoral strength - the current contest marks a revival and renewal. Even when taking into account the number of Meretz members immediately before its merger into The Democrats, this represents a substantial increase in the number of registered party members.

A bit of nostalgia: the top three finishers in Labor Party primaries over the years

Tags:: National Elections 2026,; Elections and Parties,; primaries,; Political Reform Program

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