Netanyahu, Likud central committee chair agree to cancel primaries for Knesset slate, and to hold leadership primary after Knesset dissolved

The Likud party will hold an internal leadership election sometime within the next six weeks, likely in late December, Prime Minister Binyamin and Likud central committee chairman MK Haim Katz agreed Sunday.

The decision pushes off the leadership vote until after the 22nd Knesset is dissolved, despite a push by MK Gideon Sa’ar - a rival of Netanyahu – who had sought to have the leadership vote held before the Knesset is dissolved.

Sa’ar had claimed that an early leadership election before the Knesset’s 21-day deadline for selecting a new premier could help avert early general elections.

Last Wednesday, Blue and White chief Benny Gantz returned the mandate to form a new government after failing to cobble together a government. His failure to build a government kicked off a 21-day period in which the Knesset must vote – by an absolute majority – for a new prime minister, or be dissolved and go to early elections.

Netanyahu and MK Katz also agreed to push to cancel the Likud primaries for its Knesset list. According to their agreement, the Likud central committee will vote on December 5th on a proposal to retain the existing Knesset list.