Full Breakdown
Democrats Party Conducts First Fully Digital Primary Ahead of October Election
7/21/2026, 12:14:36 AM
The Historic Digital Primary
On Monday, the newly formed Democrats Party—created in 2024 by the merger of the Labor and Meretz parties—held its internal primaries entirely online. More than 112,000 registered members were eligible to vote via a secure mobile- and computer-based system that opened at 9:00 a.m. The party reported an 86 % turnout, with over 97,000 members casting ballots by the end of the day. By early afternoon, about 63 % of the 70,834 members who had already joined the party had voted. The final Knesset slate, to be announced that evening during the party’s campaign launch in Tel Aviv, will determine the Democrats’ placement on the ballot for the national election scheduled for October 27.
Candidate Diversity and Notable Figures
The primary featured 51 contenders competing for spots on the slate. The candidate pool included 19 women, four Arab candidates, three Druze, two LGBTQ+ members, 12 former IDF officers, 17 leaders from protest movements, 11 civil-service veterans, nine candidates under 45, and eight former Knesset members. Prominent entrants were social activist Yaya Fink, former Meretz MK Michal Rozin, Rabbis for Human Rights director Avi Dabush, activist reservist Omri Ronen, and the party’s three sitting MKs—Naama Lazimi, Efrat Rayten, and Gilad Kariv.
Official Statements
The Democrats highlighted the turnout as evidence of robust intra-party democracy. Party leader Yair Golan described the event as “a celebration of Israel’s democracy” and urged voters to support a strong Democrats team to restore security, democracy, and hope. MK Gilad Kariv, speaking from Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, framed the primary as moving protest energy into government and condemned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s reported attempts to alter or cancel Likud primaries, calling the Democrats “the true major democratic party in Israel.”
Criticism & Opposition
Critics within the party, including Kariv and Lazimi, targeted Netanyahu’s proposed changes to Likud’s primary system, arguing that such moves undermine democratic norms. Their statements underscore a broader contest over how primary processes should be conducted in Israeli politics, where parties are not legally required to hold primaries at all.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The high turnout demonstrates that the value of intra-party democracy is strong and stable,” — Democrats Party statement
- “We are bringing the protest into government. We carried out a heroic protest; now we will bring about a historic change,” — Gilad Kariv, MK
- “The recent reports of Netanyahu’s attempts to cancel the Likud primaries show that the Democrats are the true major democratic party in Israel,” — Gilad Kariv, MK
- “This is the time for the public to go out and vote. Only a strong Democrats team in the Knesset and in the next government can save the country and restore to Israel the security, democracy, and hope that it so desperately needs,” — Yair Golan, Party Leader
