Voters Head to Polls Amid Likud Rift Over Turnout Tactics
Internal polls suggest a close race, but party leaders argue over the impact of rival fundraising and undecided voters.
By Naomi Tesfaye ·
Nearly one-third of Israeli voters remained undecided as the country prepared for Tuesday's ballot, a figure that has fueled a sharp division within the ruling Likud party one day before the election.
The split centers on conflicting data. One faction trusts the optimistic internal forecasts of Shlomo Filber, who manages Likud’s polling. The other group fears that a massive, coordinated effort by rival organizations is artificially boosting turnout against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A Likud source described the internal mood: “We have some who are very sure of themselves, and some who are less so.”
Party officials point to a surge in non-partisan activity that they say falls outside standard campaign finance rules. Sources describe a strategy involving social media ads, field events, and transportation for Arab voters. The Likud source labeled this push “the nonprofits affair on steroids.”
“Either Momo comes out a king, or Momo goes home. It’s one or the other,” the source said regarding Filber’s predictions. The party also criticized the Central Elections Committee for focusing on campaign video limits while ignoring these external funding streams, though officials did not provide specific documentation for the amounts involved.
Likud is launching a large-scale ground operation on Election Day to prevent right-wing votes from leaking to smaller parties. Negotiations to bring Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter out of the race failed, even after Rabbi Eli Sadan issued a statement backing Winter. The party is now courting the joint ticket of Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zelekha.
The Ahi party, led by Rabbi Abergel, has already dropped out of the race following talks with Likud. During those discussions, the parties explored legislation that would allow Ahi to name a deputy minister.
Voters go to the polls on Tuesday, October 27. The date was set to allow the current government to complete its full term, ending a period of political uncertainty that has marked the previous year.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
