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Eighty per cent of the 3,623 Likud Central Committee members who were eligible to vote cast their ballots yesterday to elect new heads of the party’s internal institutions.

In the most heated contest, for chair of the Likud’s Secretariat, the incumbent, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz beat his challenger, Miri Regev MK who had received the backing of Interior Minister Gideon Saar, Communications Minister Gilad Erdan and Energy Minister Silvan Shalom. The Secretariat controls the party’s operations and financing. According to Kol Yisrael Radio, Katz scored sixty per-cent of the vote.

As expected, Deputy Defence Minister Danny Danon was elected as chairman of Likud’s Central Committee, while Deputy Foreign Minister Ze’ev Elkin won the race to become chair of the party’s Bureau. The Central Committee has the power to alter the party’s constitution, while the Bureau decides the party’s policy positions on issues facing the country, although Likud prime ministers are not necessarily bound by its’ rulings.

Danon and Elkin are widely perceived as representing the right-wing of the party and their apparent popularity among Likud activists is viewed as a challenge to party leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both are considered hostile towards Netanyahu’s insistence on the creation of a two-state solution as part of a peace deal with the Palestinian Authority. This morning’s Yediot Ahronot comments that yesterday’s elections were a setback for Netanyahu. There is also frustration among Likud activists that their voice within the party has been sidelined under Netanyahu’s leadership.

Despite their differences, the Jerusalem Post says that all candidates pledged to work alongside Netanyahu, who committed to meet Likud mayors tomorrow and take a more active role in the party. Danon commented on Likud infighting before casting his vote, saying “We are in the same faction and the same boat,” while Elkin commented “what matters is that the Likud institutions are coming back to life.”