Over 112,000 registered Democrats eligible to vote in party primaries ahead of Knesset election

The left-wing Democrats are one of the core parties in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the elections, set for October 27.Follow us on GoogleYaya Fink, candidate in The Democrats party primaries, is seen at his campaign headquarters on the day of the party’s primary election in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 20, 2026.(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)ByKESHET NEEVJULY 20, 2026 14:11The Democrats Party began its internal primaries on Monday, with more than 112,000 registered members eligible to cast votes virtually for candidates throughout the day and determine who will make up the party’s Knesset slate ahead of the upcoming elections.The left-wing Democrats are one of the core parties in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the elections, set for October 27. The party was established in 2024 by the merging of the Labor and Meretz parties. Yair Golan was selected at the time to lead the party.Parties are not required to hold primaries in Israel, and only a few do so. The final list will be announced on Monday evening after the vote during the party's election campaign launch in Tel Aviv.Each registered member of the party is permitted to vote for between six and eight candidates out of the 51 contenders competing for spots on the Democrats' slate.The Democrats said the list would incorporate gender parity through a zipper system alternating between women and men, while also guaranteeing representation for Meretz representatives, the rural sector, and minority communities. The party described the slate as reflecting a broad cross-section of Israeli society.Naama Lazimi, a Member of Knesset and candidate in The Democrats party primaries, is seen at her campaign headquarters on the day of the party’s primary election in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 20, 2026. (credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/FLASH90)Democrats party features IDF officers, Arabs, LGBTQ+ membersThe candidates include 17 leaders involved in protest movements and public activism, 12 former IDF officers, 11 candidates with backgrounds in the civil service, 19 women, nine candidates under the age of 45, eight former Knesset members, four candidates from the Arab community, three from the Druze community, and two members of the LGBTQ+ community.Among some of the figures running for candidacy are social and political activist Yaya Fink, former Meretz MK Michal Rozin, Rabbis for Human Rights executive director Avi Dabush, social activist and reservist Omri Ronen, alongside several figures from the judicial-reform and hostage-deal protest movements.Other candidates running in the primaries are the party’s three current members of Knesset, Naama Lazimi, Efrat Rayten, and Gilad Kariv.Golan said at the opening of the party’s primaries that they were “a celebration of Israel's democracy.”“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,” the Democrats party leader added.Democrats primary conducted digitally for first timeThe party's primaries will be conducted virtually for the first time, with voting available via mobile phones and computers, through “a secure digital system” that will be open throughout the day.The party noted more than 114,000 people have joined the Democrats in total, calling the recent wave of additions “an unprecedented democratic surge." It is the highest membership the party has had since the 1990s.Follow us on Google