Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu won the Likud party’s primary. With 85 percent of the votes tallied early Wednesday the PM beat his rival Moshe Feiglin 75 percent to 24 percent.

The results followed a tense day of voting on Tuesday, characterized by a much lower voter turnout than Netanyahu had hoped or expected, prompting the premier to organize an impromptu press conference to urge voters to arrive at the nationwide polling stations.

“When I ask [Likud] activists why the percentage is so low, they respond by telling me that there is no need to vote because I will win,” Netanyahu said, emphasizing that he wants “as many Likudniks as possible to vote.”

Netanyahu warned his party that when people do not vote, they allow others who do not vote Likud in the general elections to “distort the picture.” Upon finishing his speech, Netanyahu headed to Be’er Sheva and the Negev town of Omer with his entourage in order to motivate voters.

For more, go to Haaretz.com

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