2022 Meretz leadership election
23 August 2022
Turnout80.84%
 
Candidate Zehava Galon Yair Golan
Party Meretz Meretz
Popular vote 9,443 5,710
Percentage 61.6% 37.25%
Meretz leader before election

Nitzan Horowitz

 Meretz leader

Zehava Galon

The 2022 Meretz leadership election was held on 23 August 2022[1] in the leadup to the 2022 Israeli legislative election. On 12 July, incumbent Nitzan Horowitz announced that he would not seek re-election as leader. Former party leader Zehava Galon defeated former deputy Chief of the General Staff Yair Golan.[2]

Background

In June 2019, incumbent leader of Meretz Tamar Zandberg was defeated by Nitzan Horowitz in a vote held by the party's conference ahead of a legislative election in September.[3][4] Following his election, Horowitz formed an alliance with the Israel Democratic Party and the Green Party, named the Democratic Union.[5] The alliance won five seats in the election.[6] In the 2020 election, Meretz ran in a joint list with the Israeli Labor Party and Gesher, which won seven seats.[7] In December 2020, Yair Golan, who previously led the Israel Democratic Party, announced that he would join Meretz.[8] Meretz ran alone in the 2021 election, where it won six seats,[9] and subsequently participated the thirty-sixth government, the first time Meretz sat in a government since 2001.[10][11]

Criticism of incumbent party leader Nitzan Horowitz's leadership included a failure to keep the party's Knesset members in line, which was blamed for playing a factor in the breakdown of the governing coalition.[12] After an early Knesset election was called, polls showed Meretz polling near (and often below) the electoral threshold.[13] Despite the interest of leadership within Meretz to run on a joint list with the Israeli Labor Party in the coming election, that party's leader, Merav Michaeli, had dismissed the possibility of this.[12]

On 12 July 2022, Horowitz announced he would not seek re-election as party leader, but would remain in politics.[14] On 18 July, following speculation regarding a potential candidacy, former leader of Meretz Zehava Galon stated that she would "Announce when there is something to announce", neither confirming nor denying reports that she was considering a run.[15][16] The next day, Galon announced she would run for the leadership of Meretz.[17]

Candidates

Ran

Withdrew

The following individual withdrew from the election:

Did not run

The following individual was speculated as a potential candidate, but did not run:

Campaign

On 6 July 2022, Yair Galon announced his candidacy for Meretz leadership, setting up a contested leadership vote.[12] On 12 July 2022, incumbent leader Horowitz withdrew from seeking reelection as party leader.[13] While former party leader Zehava Galon had originally dismissed the possibility of a run at the time that Yair Galon entered the race,[12] calls for her to run continued.[12] On 19 July, Galon announced her candidacy.[1]

Against Galon, who had already served as party leader, Golan cast himself as leading the party towards the future rather than the past.[1]

Results

2022 Meretz leadership election[19][20]
Party Candidate Votes %
Meretz Zehava Galon 9,443 61.6%
Meretz Yair Golan 5,710 37.25%
Abstaining 176 1.15%
Turnout 15,329 80.84%

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Breuer, Eliav (19 July 2022). "Zehava Galon announces candidacy for Meretz primaries". JPost.com. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  2. ↑ Keller-Lynn, Carrie (23 August 2022). "Galon wins Meretz leadership race, returning to head left-wing party after 3 years". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  3. ↑ Zaken, Danny; Schneider, Tal (27 June 2019). "הורוביץ ניצח את זנדברג בבחירות לראשות מרצ" [Horowitz defeated Zandberg in Meretz leadership election]. Globes (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  4. ↑ "Nitzan Horowitz wins vote to lead left-wing Meretz party". The Times of Israel. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  5. ↑ Gil Hoffman; Jeremy Sharon (25 July 2019). "Polls show Democratic Union Party to net 8–12 seats". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 27 July 2019.
  6. ↑ Wootliff, Raoul (25 September 2019). "Elections Committee publishes final results, hands them to president". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  7. ↑ "תוצאות הבחירות לכנסת העשרים ושלוש" [Result of elections to the twenty-third Knesset]. CEC. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  8. ↑ Cohen, Shirit Avitan (7 December 2020). "ח"כ יאיר גולן הודיע כי הוא מצטרף למפלגת מרצ" [Member of the Knesset Yair Golan announced that he will join Meretz]. Globes. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  9. ↑ "תוצאות הבחירות לכנסת העשרים וארבע" [Result of elections for the twenty-fourth Knesset]. CEC. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  10. ↑ Azulai, Moran (11 June 2021). "מרצ אישרה את הכניסה לממשלה: "ננסה להביא משהו אחר, בלי כל הרעל"" [Meretz approves entry into government: "We'll try and bring something else, without all the poison"]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  11. ↑ Drukman, Yaron (13 June 2021). "ממשלת בנט-לפיד יוצאת לדרך: הכירו את כל השרים" [Bennett-Lapid government launches: meet all of the Ministers]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Keller-Lynn, Carrie (6 July 2022). "Meretz leadership in play as Golan enters race against Horowitz". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Baruch, Hezki (12 July 2022). "Meretz chief quits party leadership race". Israel National News. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  14. ↑ "ניצן הורוביץ הודיע: לא אתמודד על ראשות מרצ" [Nitzan Horowitz Announced: I will not run for leadership of Meretz]. N12. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  15. ↑ "זהבה גלאון צפויה להודיע שתתמודד על ראשות מרצ" [Zehava Gal-On is expected to announce a run for Meretz leadership]. N12. 18 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "תציל את מרצ? זהבה גלאון הודיעה כי תתמודד על ראשות המפלגה" [She will save Meretz? Zehava Gal-On announced she will run for leadership of the party]. www.maariv.co.il. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  17. 1 2 ""לו איבחר לראשות מרצ אדבר עם מרב על איחוד העבודה-מרצ":..." ["If elected to the Leadership of Meretz, i will speak with Merav about a union between Labor and Meretz"...]. N12. 19 July 2022. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  18. ↑ Kotev, Adam (6 July 2022). "יאיר גולן יתמודד על ראשות מרצ: "לבנות שמאל ציוני חזק וגאה"" [Yair Golan will run for Leadership of Meretz: "To Build a strong and proud zionist left"]. Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  19. ↑ Shalev, Tal (23 August 2022). "זהבה גלאון נבחרה לראשות מרצ, היו"ר היוצא הורוביץ מחוץ לכנסת" [Zehava Gal-On elected leader of Meretz, Outgoing Chairman Horowitz outside the Knesset.]. Walla (in Hebrew). Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  20. ↑ "תוצאות מאושרות לאחר הקפצות" [Confirmed results after reshuffle] (PDF). Meretz. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
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