A group of Likud members extended an invitation to MK Ayelet Shaked of the Zionist Spirit Party to consider joining the Likud party on Thursday – indicating that Shaked, despite her current role in the Knesset opposition, has been gaining substantial popularity among Likud members.
Shaked is reportedly evaluating this proposition, though she refrained from commenting when approached for a response. If Israeli elections are called after three years as scheduled, Shaked will not need to shorten her mandatory hiatus as a part of the previous coalition government before her next political pursuit. In the event of early elections, however, Shaked believes that Benjamin Netanyahu might refuse to expedite the cooling-off period for her – pressure that could lead the popular MK to join the Likud party.
Per Likud party regulations, aspiring candidates typically face a three-year waiting period before running for public office on the party’s ticket, though notable public figures who joined Likud – such as Moshe Saada, Idit Silman, Amichai Chikli received informal waivers, allowing them to join the Likud ticket prior to this three-year cooling period.
The process of shortening the cooling-off period involves a recommendation from Netanyahu, the party’s leader, and approval from the party’s secretary.
Shaked in Likud’s Top Ten?
“If Shaked succeeds in reaching the primaries for the Likud list for the next elections, she will be in the top ten… This is despite the fact that she has rivals and opponents among members – and especially women – from the faction in the Knesset and the government,” explained a senior Likud official.
According to estimates from sources who support Shaked’s accession, her supporters within the Likud intend to accompany the former minister on her new political path immediately following municipal elections, which her Likud-based supporters feel she will perform well in.
Analysts believe that any effort to obstruct Shaked’s participation in the Likud party’s primaries would encounter resistance from municipal leaders and Knesset members who support Shaked, such as Haim Katz, David Bitan, and other Likud members – many of whom remember Shaked’s pivotal role in blocking a bill that sought to bar criminal defendants from running for the Knesset, a bill that had garnered support from all coalition parties except Yamina.
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