Labor primary vote ushers in left-leaning list

The results of the Labor Party primaries were announced Wednesday morning, presenting a young, female heavy and left-leaning Knesset list. The party agenda, as reflected by the top spots on the list, is dominated by socio-economic issues, and lacking in substantial security credentials.

Expected to win the first slot, the vote saw MK Eitan Cabel slip six spots from his current position to 10th place on the Labor's joint Knesset list with Hatnuah. Shelly Yachimovich, a former chairwoman of the party, came in first in the primary and secured the third spot on the list, after current Labor Chairman Isaac Herzog and Hatnuah Chairwoman Tzipi Livni.



Yachimovich's big victory was compounded by the strong representation of women on the party list -- four of the top 10 spots are occupied by women (including Livni).

Claiming the top spots after Yachimovich were stars of the 2011 social protest movement Stav Shaffir, 29, and Itzik Shmuli, 34, who came in at numbers four and five respectively.

In response to the finalized list, Labor-Hatnuah's chief rival, Likud, issued a statement saying, "The Labor party selected a clearly left-wing list, headed by Tzipi and Herzog, Shelly Yachimovich, Stav Shaffir and Zouheir Bahloul. The citizens of Israel need to elect those who will defend Israel with determination in the face of the threats and challenges that face us. Who will that be? A left-wing government made up of Tzipi, Herzog and Bahloul or a strong Likud government -- responsible, experienced, headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."

Another major rival, Habayit Hayehudi, issued an even more direct statement, accusing the Labor-Hatnuah joint list, which has billed itself as the "Zionist camp," of trying to pull one over on the voters.

"The jig is up. The Labor Party elected a post-Zionist list that destroyed any chance it had of becoming the ruling party. From supporters of the Gaza flotilla to members of the New Israel Fund who support overturning the Law of Return all the way to candidates who are ashamed of the Israeli national anthem. The founders of the Labor movement are turning over in their graves."

According to Labor's election committee, the voter turnout was 58 percent, which translates into 28,367 voters.

After the results of the primaries were finalized on Wednesday, Labor Party Secretary General Hilik Bar, who came in at No. 7, said, "This was a clean election that went off without a hitch -- any party in Israel would be proud. A team has been selected with immense, strong female representation; young, quality representation; a social agenda and representation of all sectors of the population."

Eldad Yaniv, whose party Eretz Hadasha failed to meet the minimum threshold of votes in the last election, campaigned for a spot on the Labor Party list this time around, but only made it to the 30th spot. With the polls predicting no more than 25 seats for the party, Yaniv's hopes of entering Knesset have most likely been dashed.

The party will be jointly headed by Herzog and Livni. Nos. 8, 16, 21, 24 and 25 on the party list have been reserved for Hatnuah members. No. 11 has been reserved for Herzog's personal choice of candidate.

The vote concluded at 10 p.m. on Tuesday, with a 2 percent increase in the voter turnout over the last primary, held in late 2012.

The relatively high voter turnout neutralized the political deals concocted behind the scenes, particularly what has come to be known as the "central deal" aimed at edging Yachimovich down the rungs. The central deal was struck by MKs Eitan Cabel, Erel Margalit and Merav Michaeli with the head of the Gilboa regional council, Danny Atar, who also campaigned for a seat and secured the 15th spot.

Party voters were asked to select eight to 10 candidates they wanted to see on the list. Should the joint Labor-Hatnuah list go on to win the national election and ultimately preside over the coalition, the individuals ranked at the top of the list will be able to demand coveted ministerial portfolios. Should the joint party lose the election, the list ranking will help decide the inevitable inheritance wars.

The most interesting battle in these primaries was undoubtedly the one waged against Yachimovich. "I remember my defeat in the vote for party leadership last year, so I am certainly concerned," she said prior to the vote. "I believe that behind the curtain, at the ballot box, Labor voters take that extra step. They don't just mark down the names they are told to mark. These are opinionated, critical voters. I believe in group wisdom."

Margalit responded to Yachimovich's remarks, saying that "there may be rivalries in politics, but there are no political hits or backstabbing. We do work together."

The so called "security" candidate (parties traditionally enlist at least one candidate with defense establishment experience to appeal to the voters' security concerns), MK Omer Bar-Lev, secured the No. 6 position on the list.

"This was a spectacular show of democracy," Herzog said following the vote. "We are a hungry party that wants to win. The activists who have accompanied us for many years see a very real chance of that happening this time. We made the right choice in joining forces with Livni and her friends, and we see a possibility for victory in the elections."

Herzog campaigned with the assertion that "we are going to win more than 30 seats."

Livni and Herzog began working on manning the reserved seats on the list on Wednesday. One seat will likely be given to Professor Manuel Trajtenberg and another will be handed to a security candidate -- likely former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz or former Military Intelligence director Amos Yadlin.

The top spots on the finalized Labor-Hatnuah list are as follows:

1. Isaac Herzog
2. Tzipi Livni (Hatnuah)
3. Shelly Yachimovich
4. Stav Shaffir
5. Itzik Shmuli
6. Omer Bar-Lev
7. Hilik Bar
8. Amir Peretz (Hatnuah)
9. Merav Michaeli
10. Eitan Cabel
11. Chairman's choice
12. Erel Margalit
13. Micky Rosenthal
14. Revital Swid
15. Danny Atar
16. Reserved for Hatnuah
17. Zuhair Bahloul
18. Eitan Broshi
19. Michal Biran
20. Nahman Shai

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