2021 Israeli Labor Party leadership election

2021 Israeli Labor Party leadership election

24 January 2021
Turnout	26.01%
Candidate Merav Michaeli Avi Shaked Popular vote 7,483 1,841 Percentage 77.54% 19.08%
Leader before election Amir Peretz Elected Leader Merav Michaeli

The 2021 Israeli Labor Party leadership election was held on 24 January 2021 in the lead-up to the 2021 Israeli legislative election.

The candidates were Merav Michaeli, Avi Shaked, Yitzhak Taym, Gil Beilin, Navah Katz, David Landsman, and Ofer Segman. Michaeli won the leadership election with 77.5% of the vote.[1]

Background

Former Labor leader Amir Peretz was appointed Economy minister, while Itzik Shmuli was appointed as the head of the Labor, Social Affairs, and Social Services ministry in the Thirty-fifth government of Israel,[2] despite Peretz promising to not join a Netanyahu-led government.[3] Michaeli did not join the government.[4]

Peretz announced on 23 December that he would neither run for the leadership of the party, nor run for a Knesset seat.[5] He attempted to cancel the primaries, but the Tel Aviv District Court on 3 January 2021 ordered primaries to be held.[6] Peretz appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel (which found in favor of Michaeli on 14 January and set the date of the election for 24 January).[7]

Results

Candidate	Votes	%
Merav Michaeli	7,483	77.54
Avi Shaked	1,841	19.08
Gil Beilin	229	2.37
Yitzhak Taym	37	0.38
Navah Katz	23	0.24
David Landsman	11	0.11
Ofer Segman	6	0.06
None of the above	21	0.22
Total	9,651	100.00
Registered voters/turnout	37,102	26.01
Source: ICE

References

1. Staff writer (24 January 2021). "Merav Michaeli elected new leader of the Labor party". Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
2. Staff writer (23 December 2020). "As government set to be sworn in, Gantz doles out ministries". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
3. Yori Yalon (24 December 2020). "Labor party leader exits politics ahead of new election". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
4. Haviv Rettig Gur (18 June 2020). "Labor's 1-woman opposition: 'No to a religious, occupying, non-democratic state'". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
5. Gil Hoffman; Sarah Ben-Nun (23 December 2020). "Peretz announces he will not run in next Labor primaries". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
6. Raoul Wootliff; Staff writer (2 January 2021). "In win for rebel MK Michaeli, court forces Labor to hold primaries". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
7. "High Court: Labor Party must hold primaries in 10 days". The Times of Israel. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.