Likud primary results near: Eli Cohen leads, Ohana-Levin race tightens with 90% of votes counted

After a tense election day, bitter battles, and turnout that closed at around 54%, the vote count in the Likud primaries is nearing the finish line on Tuesday, and the party's new slate is taking shape.

With 80% of the votes counted, Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen appears to have secured the top slot, followed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Justice Minister Yariv Levin. Transportation Minister Miri Regev and coalition chairman Ofir Katz round out the top five.

The rest of the top 10 consists of Education Minister Yoav Kisch, Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, Deputy Minister Almog Cohen, MK Dudi Amsalem, and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli.

MKs Tally Gotliv, Nir Barkat and David Bitan, who were reportedly targeted for 'political elimination' by the prime minister's circle, are also fighting for their places on the slate. At this stage, Gotliv is in 12th place, and Bitan is in 14th. Barkat is in 16th place, with fewer than 200 votes separating him from MK Ze'ev Elkin.

Currently, MKs Hanoch Milwidsky, Women's Advancement Minister May Golan, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, and MKs Hanoch Milwidsky, Keti Shitrit, Ariel Kallner, Avi Dichter, and Nissim Vaturi have not reached realistic positions and are expected to remain outside the Knesset.

Because of the slots reserved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, candidates ranked as high as 17th in the primary results could be pushed as low as 25th on the final adjusted slate. The district slots also affect the picture: the candidate ranked 18th in the raw results will be placed 32nd on the adjusted slate.

The Likud primaries began on Monday, with polling stations opening at 10 a.m. and closing at 9 p.m. A total of 107 designated polling sites were set up across the country, from the Gray club in Yehud to a gas station in Tamra. Some 76,068 Likud members voted.

Accusations of fraud at Likud polling station in Yeruham

Overnight, Golan and MK Amit Halevi filed complaints with the Likud Central Election Committee, demanding an immediate halt to the vote count at the Yeruham polling station, alleging repeated incidents of erasures, alterations, and vote markings were taking place during the count in ways that did not correspond with the names of the candidates being read aloud.

In some cases, the records were corrected only after the observer at the site intervened and demanded the amendments.

Golan and Halevi demanded that the count be stopped immediately and that a reinforced team of lawyers and Election Committee representatives be sent to the polling station.

Additionally, following a report by Amit Segal that Netanyahu had received polls showing that Likud would lose seats if Gotliv were elected near the top of the slate, and Netanyahu's statement that he trusted Likud members to make the right considerations, Gotliv claimed on Tuesday morning on her X account that some polling stations had forged forms that did not include her name.

"Stay alert. Likud functionaries and vote contractors are hysterical over the power of the free votes," she wrote.

Netanyahu calls to support Osnat Zohar

Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu called on his supporters to vote for Osnat Zohar, writing on his X account: "Osnat Zohar has worked for years for Likud and for me. I would be very happy to see her continue her work in the Knesset as well."

Later, his son Yair urged voters not to support Keren Atias Bublil because of her ties to Bitan, revealing his father's motive for backing Osnat. "Most important of all, do not vote for Keren Atias Bublil, because she is connected to Bitan, and of course not for David Bitan himself," he wrote.

Bitan is the only figure in Likud who challenged Netanyahu and tried to block his demand for reserved slots. In response, Netanyahu has posted videos in recent days of four candidates running in the districts against Bitan's candidates, likely to prevent Bitan from strengthening his position.