Likud picks candidates for Israel election

Likud members voted Monday to choose the party's candidates for Israel's October 27 general election, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing party faces a tight race.

Likud said turnout reached 53 percent, 10 percentage points higher than in the party's 2022 primary. The figure is being watched as a sign of mobilisation before the general election.

Netanyahu has reserved about 10 candidate spots for people he chooses. Local media described the move as an effort to ensure loyalists are around him.

Polls predict Likud's parliamentary strength could fall from 32 seats to as low as 22. Netanyahu is Israel's longest-serving prime minister but is in a weakened position after controversial judicial reform efforts and wars pursued after Hamas's October 7 attack.

Some Likud members criticised the reserved spots, while others defended Netanyahu's management of the party. Outgoing lawmaker Amit Halevy said he would have preferred fewer reserved spots, but said most candidates would still be chosen through the primaries.