Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud held elections on Tuesday for the first time in almost 14 years, with party members voting on the makeup of its municipal branches and powerful Central Committee.

The results delivered sweeping victories for both veteran ministers and new “Liberal Likud” figures, setting the stage for a possible shake-up in the leadership of the party’s Central Committee and its 50-member executive secretariat.

In Jerusalem, Economy Minister Nir Barkat — the former mayor — ran on a joint slate with Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem. Historically bitter rivals, the two opted to join forces and consolidate their winnings.

Their bloc won approximately 60% of the votes, giving them control of the Jerusalem branch council and a large share of the capital’s 170 delegates to the Likud Central Committee, according to Hebrew media reports.

Tourism Minister Haim Katz leads the party’s Central Committee, which has approximately 4,500 members elected by the local Likud branches. It serves as the party’s main representative body, responsible for approving major policy decisions and internal rules.

The showing by the joint slate of Barkat and Amsalem, the latter of whom is seeking to replace Katz as the head of the Central Committee, is expected to increase the pair’s influence in the party. However, they faced formidable opposition from

© The Times of Israel