Israel's left-wing Democrats present list of veteran lawmakers & activists after primary elections

With fewer than 100 days until Israelis head to the polls to elect a new Knesset, political parties are beginning to finalize their candidate slates, with the left-of-center The Democrats holding primary elections on Monday.

The party, led by former IDF deputy chief Yair Golan, elected incumbent Knesset Member (MK) Naama Lazimi to the No. 2 spot on its electoral list, positioning her among the candidates most likely to enter the next Knesset if the party performs as expected. Current polls project that the party will receive around 10 mandates.

Following the announcement of the results, Golan addressed supporters in Tel Aviv, saying "This is democracy at its best — alive, vibrant, and ready for battle. And the team standing behind me here tonight will be the choice on the ballot of more than a million voters."

"Without strong and influential Democrats in the next government, the entire bloc for change will very quickly slide to the right. This time, we cannot give in, and we have no intention of compromising on our core principles."

In a social media post after the results were announced, Lazimi wrote that she was "full of gratitude and thrilled," adding that she wished to express her "eternal thanks for the trust and partnership."

Lazimi is followed on the party's slate by MK Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi; MK Efrat Rayten; activist Yaya Fink; former Meretz MK Gaby Lasky; activist and reservist Omri Ronen; former Meretz MK Michal Rozin; protest leader Moshe Radman; Muslim Arab coexistence advocate Somaya Bashir; former Air Force general Nimrod Sheffer; and women’s rights activist Moran Zer Katzenstein.

Commenting on the candidate list, Channel 12 News' analyst Amit Segal, the country's most influential right-leaning journalist, noted that the primaries effectively made The Democrats into a "protest party."

"Everyone who was a prominent figure in the protest movement was elected to a high spot: two 'refuseniks' from Brothers in Arms, Redman, Zer Katzenstein from the Handmaids' Protest, and Lasky from the Arrestees' Support Headquarters. Everyone who wasn't—wasn't elected," said Segal.

The other candidates were prominent incumbent lawmakers, like Kariv and Rayten, or received reserved slots for Meretz, like Lasky and Rozin.

Party officials acknowledge that the Democrats are unlikely to win more than 10 seats in the upcoming election, making those candidates the ones with the strongest chance of serving in the next Knesset.

Lazimi has been a prominent participant in public demonstrations in recent years protesting the policies of the outgoing coalition government, including the weekly rallies organized by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Her activism and public statements have also made her a frequent target of criticism and threats of violence from right-wing figures, including members of the outgoing governing coalition.

The Democrats party was formed through the merger of Labor and Meretz, Israel's two traditional left-of-center political parties. Labor dominated Israeli politics during the country's first three decades before losing power to Menachem Begin's Likud in the 1977 election. Since then, Labor has steadily declined electorally, while Meretz has also struggled to maintain its political influence.

According to the party's website, the Democrats have 112,376 registered members, about 97,000 of whom voted in Monday's primary. The election was conducted through a secure digital voting system, marking the first time a political party primary has been held online in Israel.

Most Israeli political parties do not hold primaries, instead allowing party leaders to determine their electoral slates before presenting them to voters.