Habayit Hayehudi voters took to the polls on Tuesday for the second time in as
many weeks, in order to elect the party’s list for the next
Knesset.
Voting opened to the party’s nearly 54,000 members from 3-10
p.m. in 168 polling places throughout the country. Habayit Hayehudi voters
ranked five candidates in order of preference, out of the 14 that were
running.
Voter turnout was at 50 percent.
The primary results will
be released on Wednesday.
Some of the better-known candidates include MK
Uri Orbach and former NRP MKs Nissan Slomianski and Gila Finkelstein. In
addition, two founders of Internet hasbara organizations – Ayelet Shaked of “My
Israel” and Atlanta native Jeremy Gimpel of TheLandofIsrael.com – are running
for seats on the Habayit Hayehudi list, as is Beersheba Deputy Mayor Avi
Wertzman.
Earlier this week, five primary candidates – Orbach,
Finkelstein, Wertzman, Doron Danino and Shuli Mualem – sued the party in the Tel
Aviv District Court to repeal a Habayit Hayehudi court decision to keep the
fifth spot for candidates under 40 even if a woman who fits that criteria is
elected in the fourth spot, which is saved for female candidates.
Shaked
is the only female under 40 in the primary. She is running for the fourth spot,
against Finkelstein and Mualem.
According to the court’s verdict,
candidates should wait until after the primary on Tuesday to see if Shaked makes
it to the second, third or fourth spot. If she does, they can petition the party
court and five judges must preside over the hearing.