2022 Meretz leadership election
{{Short description|Election for leader of the Meretz Party}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 2022 Meretz leadership election
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 2019 Meretz leadership election
| previous_year = 2019
| next_election =
| next_year =
| election_date = 23 August 2022
| image1 = File:תמונה זהבה גלאון (cropped).jpg
| candidate1 = Zehava Galon
| party1 = Meretz
| popular_vote1 = 9,443
| percentage1 = 61.6%
| image2 = File:Yair Golan 2020 (1).jpg
| candidate2 = Yair Golan
| party2 = Meretz
| popular_vote2 = 5,710
| percentage2 = 37.25%
| map_image =
| map_size =
| map_caption =
| title = Meretz leader
| before_election = Nitzan Horowitz
| posttitle = Meretz leader
| after_election = Zehava Galon
| flag_image = Meretz Logo.svg
| turnout = 80.84%
}}
The 2022 Meretz leadership election was held on 23 August 2022 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 Galon defeated former deputy Chief of the General Staff Yair Golan.{{Cite web |last=Keller-Lynn |first=Carrie |title=Galon wins Meretz leadership race, returning to head left-wing party after 3 years|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/galon-clinches-meretz-leadership-race-returning-to-lead-left-wing-party/ |access-date=23 August 2022 |website=The Times of Israel|date=23 August 2022|language=en-US}}
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.{{cite web |last1=Zaken |first1=Danny |last2=Schneider |first2=Tal |date=27 June 2019 |title=הורוביץ ניצח את זנדברג בבחירות לראשות מרצ |trans-title=Horowitz defeated Zandberg in Meretz leadership election |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001291296 |access-date=23 July 2021 |website=Globes |language=he}}{{cite web |date=27 June 2019 |title=Nitzan Horowitz wins vote to lead left-wing Meretz party |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/nitzan-horowitz-wins-vote-to-lead-left-wing-meretz-party/ |access-date=23 August 2022 |website=The Times of Israel}} Following his election, Horowitz formed an alliance with the Israel Democratic Party and the Green Party, named the Democratic Union.{{cite news |author1=Gil Hoffman |author2=Jeremy Sharon |date=25 July 2019|title=Polls show Democratic Union Party to net 8–12 seats |work=The Jerusalem Post |url=https://www.jpost.com/Israel-Elections/New-left-wing-bloc-formed-overnight-596771 |access-date=27 July 2019}} The alliance won five seats in the election.{{Cite web |last=Wootliff |first=Raoul |date=25 September 2019 |title=Elections Committee publishes final results, hands them to president |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/checked-and-double-checked-elections-committee-publishes-final-results/ |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=The Times of Israel|language=en-US}} In the 2020 election, Meretz ran in a joint list with the Israeli Labor Party and Gesher, which won seven seats.{{Cite web |title=תוצאות הבחירות לכנסת העשרים ושלוש |trans-title=Result of elections to the twenty-third Knesset|url=https://votes23.bechirot.gov.il/ |access-date=5 August 2022 |website=CEC}} In December 2020, Yair Golan, who previously led the Israel Democratic Party, announced that he would join Meretz.{{Cite news|last=Cohen |first=Shirit Avitan |date=7 December 2020 |title=ח"כ יאיר גולן הודיע כי הוא מצטרף למפלגת מרצ |trans-title=Member of the Knesset Yair Golan announced that he will join Meretz |work=Globes |url=https://www.globes.co.il/news/article.aspx?did=1001352122 |access-date=5 August 2022}} Meretz ran alone in the 2021 election, where it won six seats,{{Cite web |title=תוצאות הבחירות לכנסת העשרים וארבע |trans-title=Result of elections for the twenty-fourth Knesset |url=https://votes24.bechirot.gov.il/ |access-date=5 August 2022 |website=CEC}} and subsequently participated the thirty-sixth government, the first time Meretz sat in a government since 2001.{{Cite news |last=Azulai |first=Moran |date=11 June 2021 |title=מרצ אישרה את הכניסה לממשלה: "ננסה להביא משהו אחר, בלי כל הרעל" |language=he |trans-title=Meretz approves entry into government: "We'll try and bring something else, without all the poison" |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/BJRAboeiO|access-date=6 August 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Drukman |first=Yaron |date=13 June 2021 |title=ממשלת בנט-לפיד יוצאת לדרך: הכירו את כל השרים |language=he |trans-title=Bennett-Lapid government launches: meet all of the Ministers |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/S1QAstfsd |access-date=6 August 2022}}
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. After an early Knesset election was called, polls showed Meretz polling near (and often below) the electoral threshold. 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.
On 12 July 2022, Horowitz announced he would not seek re-election as party leader, but would remain in politics.{{Cite web |date=12 July 2022 |title=ניצן הורוביץ הודיע: לא אתמודד על ראשות מרצ |trans-title=Nitzan Horowitz Announced: I will not run for leadership of Meretz |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel-elections/election_2022/Article-a62977c7dd1f181026.htm |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=N12}} On 18 July, following speculation regarding a potential candidacy, former leader of Meretz Zehava Galon stated that she would "Announce when there is something to announce", neither confirming nor denying reports that she was considering a run.{{Cite web |date=18 July 2022 |title=זהבה גלאון צפויה להודיע שתתמודד על ראשות מרצ |trans-title=Zehava Gal-On is expected to announce a run for Meretz leadership |url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel-elections/election_2022/Article-c1d40c6d5921281026.htm|access-date=20 July 2022 |website=N12}}{{Cite web |title=תציל את מרצ? זהבה גלאון הודיעה כי תתמודד על ראשות המפלגה |trans-title=She will save Meretz? Zehava Gal-On announced she will run for leadership of the party |url=https://www.maariv.co.il/elections-2022/Article-932800 |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=www.maariv.co.il}} The next day, Galon announced she would run for the leadership of Meretz.{{Cite web |date=19 July 2022 |title="לו איבחר לראשות מרצ אדבר עם מרב על איחוד העבודה-מרצ":... |trans-title="If elected to the Leadership of Meretz, i will speak with Merav about a union between Labor and Meretz"...|url=https://www.mako.co.il/news-israel-elections/2022_q3/Article-fce0a341c771281026.htm |access-date=20 July 2022 |website=N12}}
Candidates
=Ran=
- Yair Golan,{{Cite news |last=Kotev |first=Adam |date=6 July 2022 |title=יאיר גולן יתמודד על ראשות מרצ: "לבנות שמאל ציוני חזק וגאה" |language=he |trans-title=Yair Golan will run for Leadership of Meretz: "To Build a strong and proud zionist left" |work=Ynet |url=https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/sjekxczjc |access-date=6 July 2022}}{{cite web |last1=Keller-Lynn |first1=Carrie |title=Meretz leadership in play as Golan enters race against Horowitz |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/meretz-leadership-in-play-as-golan-enters-race-against-horowitz/ |website=www.timesofisrael.com |access-date=18 July 2022 |date=6 July 2022}} member of the Knesset since 2020, deputy economy minister, former deputy chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces
- Zehava Galon, former party leader (2012–2018) and former member of the Knesset
=Withdrew=
The following individual withdrew from the election:
- Nitzan Horowitz, party leader since 2019 and health minister
=Did not run=
The following individual was speculated as a potential candidate, but did not run:
- Tamar Zandberg, {{cite web |last1=Baruch |first1=Hezki |title=Meretz chief quits party leadership race |url=https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/356369 |website=Israel National News |access-date=17 July 2022 |language=en |date=12 July 2022}} former party leader (2018–2019) and minister of environmental protection since 2021
Campaign
On 6 July 2022, Yair Galon announced his candidacy for Meretz leadership, setting up a contested leadership vote. On 12 July 2022, incumbent leader Horowitz withdrew from seeking reelection as party leader. While former party leader Zehava Galon had originally dismissed the possibility of a run at the time that Yair Galon entered the race, calls for her to run continued. On 19 July, Galon announced her candidacy.{{cite web |last1=Breuer |first1=Eliav |title=Zehava Galon announces candidacy for Meretz primaries |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-712539|website=JPost.com |publisher=The Jerusalem Post |access-date=30 July 2022 |date=19 July 2022}}
Against Galon, who had already served as party leader, Golan cast himself as leading the party towards the future rather than the past.
Results
{{Election box begin no change|title=2022 Meretz leadership election{{Cite web |last=Shalev |first=Tal |date=23 August 2022 |title=זהבה גלאון נבחרה לראשות מרצ, היו"ר היוצא הורוביץ מחוץ לכנסת |trans-title=Zehava Gal-On elected leader of Meretz, Outgoing Chairman Horowitz outside the Knesset. |url=https://elections.walla.co.il/item/3526059 |access-date=23 August 2022 |website=Walla |language=he}}{{Cite web |title=תוצאות מאושרות לאחר הקפצות |trans-title=Confirmed results after reshuffle |url=https://meretz.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%90%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9E%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A9%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%9C%D7%90%D7%97%D7%A8-%D7%94%D7%A7%D7%A4%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%AA.pdf |access-date=24 August 2022 |website=Meretz}}
}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change|party=Meretz|candidate=Zehava Galon|votes=9,443|percentage=61.6%}}{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=Meretz|candidate=Yair Golan|votes=5,710|percentage=37.25%}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change|party=|candidate=Abstaining|votes=176|percentage=1.15%|change=}}{{Election box turnout no change|votes=15,329|percentage=80.84%}}
{{Election box end}}