2022 Meretz leadership election

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 Gal-On defeated former deputy Chief of the General Staff Yair Golan.[2]

2022 Meretz leadership election
23 August 2022
Turnout80.84%
 
Candidate Zehava Gal-On 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 Gal-On

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 Gal-On 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, Gal-On 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 Gal-On 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, Gal-On announced her candidacy.[1]

Against Gal-On, 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 Gal-On 9,443 61.6%
Meretz Yair Golan 5,710 37.25%
Abstaining 176 1.15%
Turnout 15,329 80.84%

References
  1. 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. Keller-Lynn, Carrie (6 July 2022). "Meretz leadership in play as Golan enters race against Horowitz". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  13. 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. ""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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