2019 Likud leadership election
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26 December 2019
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| Turnout | 49%[1] | |||||||||||||||
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A leadership election was held by the Likud party on 26 December 2019. Incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu defeated Gideon Sa'ar by a large majority.[2]
After the April 2019 Israeli legislative election, Netanyahu was unable to form a coalition by the deadline of 29 May. Instead of letting Benny Gantz attempt to form a coalition of his own, the majority of the Knesset dissolved itself, and a snap election was held on 17 September 2019.[3][4]
The second election was inconclusive, prompting warnings of a third election.[5] The threat was deemed unacceptable by the opposition and the general public, and Netanyahu called on Gantz to form a national unity government, even offering to cede the position of Prime Minister some time in the future.[6] Gantz rejected this offer, noting that Netanyahu's proposed unity government would include all of Netanyahu's right-wing allies, but none of Gantz's centre-left allies. Yair Lapid, then a member of Gantz's Blue and White alliance, also refused to sit with Likud as long as Netanyahu was its leader, due to the criminal cases against Netanyahu.[7]
In October 2019, amid coalition talks, Netanyahu indicated that he was considering holding snap primaries for party leadership. Gideon Sa'ar said in a tweet, "I'm ready."[8] After Netanyahu decided against holding a leadership election, Sa'ar said that he would run in the next election and would support Netanyahu until then.[9]
On 21 November 2019, Netanyahu was officially indicted for breach of trust, accepting bribes, and fraud. As a result of the indictment, some in Likud began to support Sa'ar in his bid for the chairmanship of the party.[10] On 24 November 2019, Sa'ar asked the Likud Central Committee to schedule a party leadership race within two weeks.[11]
