Eli Cohen tops tense Likud primary as several ministers fall short

Energy Minister Eli Cohen topped the Likud primary elections, with final results showing him finishing first. Several incumbent ministers, including Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman and Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter, fell short of securing realistic positions for Knesset seats. Transportation Minister Miri Regev was the highest-ranked woman, placing fourth overall, while Tally Gotliv secured the twelfth spot. Turnout for the primary reached 53.5%, with 75,177 members casting ballots. The party opted for manual ballot counting due to cybersecurity concerns regarding electronic voting, with some officials suggesting this method also gave party leader Benjamin Netanyahu greater control over the slate's composition. As one party official stated, "With higher turnout, the gamble becomes bigger. You get a list that you don’t necessarily know what it will look like."