Despite claims by Binyamin Netanyahu that he is the only one who can lead the party to success, an internal poll taken by the party shows that Likud headed by Moshe Feiglin would earn 18 seats. That is the same number of seats Likud has in the outgoing Knesset. The poll shows that Danny Danon would bring Likud 17 seats.
The poll was carried out by Magar Mochot was commissioned by the party including 501 persons representative of the Jewish adult voting body. It shows Feiglin is gaining in popularity by Netanyahu is waning.
Recent TV News polls are showing however that PM Netanyahu would bring Likud 22 seats if elections were held today.
The poll also shows the old guard traditional Likud members would move to other parties. Feiglin would pull voters from Bayit Yehudi, Yisrael Beitenu and Yahadut Hatorah, among the right-wing religious voters. On the other hand, the votes he would lost would go to Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beitenu and the new party being formed by Moshe Kahlon.
If Feiglin headed Likud, it would compel more left-wing unity and a stronger left-wing fight in addition to Feiglin having to compete against Bayit Yehudi, which the polls show can bring 17 seats as well.
Using his Facebook page to respond to the poll, Feiglin explains he is not at all surprised and its serves to highlight the most important question in the elections; which is how to bring back voters who have migrated to Bayit Yehudi and Yisrael Beitenu.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
18 seats seems a bit high
1. At this point anyone leading Likud will win. The overall Right-Left-Center distribution, which decides the winner in a parliamentary system, means that it is virtually impossible for Likud to lose.
2. Israelis vote for party, no individuals.
3. In considering the affect of any candidate, it is important to look at how it affects other parties. If Feiglin would take votes away from Bayit Yehudi and/or Yisrael Beiteinu, while causing some Likud votes to support centrist parties (Kahlon, Livni, or Lapid), it would force Likud into having relatively doveish parties in the government – which is the opposite of what Feiglin wants.
Well said akuperman
This just shows that Feiglin is become more and more viable a candidate. His popularity increase when people get to meet and hear him and see that he is not a one dimensional person.