2018 Meretz leadership election

2018 Meretz leadership election

← 2015 22 March 2018 2019 →
Turnout	53.69%
Candidate Tamar Zandberg Avi Buskila Party Meretz Meretz Popular vote 12,112 4,851 Percentage 71.21% 28.52%
Meretz leader before election Zehava Galon Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg

An election was held for the leadership of the Meretz party on 22 March 2018. It saw the election of Tamar Zandberg.

The vote was open to party members. Party membership increased by 12,000, to roughly 30,000, ahead of the vote.^[1] Outgoing leader Galon wanted the election to use an open primary-style system in which any Israeli citizen could vote, regardless of party registration. The party wound up instead adopting a compromise presented by Tamar Zandberg, which saw the party allow anyone to register as a party member up to a month before the leadership election and the party's slate-selection primary, and be allowed to participate in those elections.^[2]

• Avi Buskila, former secretary general of Peace Now^[3]
• David Cashni
• Ofir Paz
• Tamar Zandberg, member of the Knesset since 2013^[4]

• Zehava Galon, incumbent leader of Meretz^[5]
• Avi Dabush endorsed Zandberg^[6]
• Ilan Gilon, member of the Knesset (1999–2003; since 2009) endorsed Zandberg^[5][7]
• Emri Kalman, endorsed Buskila^{[citation needed]}
• David Neve^{[citation needed]}

The party reported that 53.69% of eligible voters participated in the election.^[8] The party reported that 130 polling stations across Israel were utilized for the vote.^[8]