DUBAI: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces a key test of his influence over his Likud party on Monday, as members vote in a primary to select most of the party’s candidates for the October 27 Knesset election.

The vote could help determine the political direction of Likud, with several incumbent lawmakers at risk of losing their seats and the party expected to have a smaller parliamentary presence than its current 32 seats.

Netanyahu has spent months seeking greater control over the party’s electoral slate. According to local media reports, the current Israeli prime minister has attempted to replace the primary with a committee that would select candidates. Those efforts failed, but he secured the right to personally appoint eight candidates to the list, giving him significant influence over its composition.

Haaretz reported that Netanyahu has also sought to reduce the influence of some of Likud’s more hardline lawmakers while promoting candidates he considers more electorally viable.

The primary will therefore offer an indication of how much influence Netanyahu retains over Likud and whether the party’s membership is moving in the direction he favors, Haarez added.

Around 140,000 Likud members are eligible to vote in the primary.