Openly Gay Amir Ohana Secures Third Spot on Israel's Ruling Likud Party Election List

Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Israeli Knesset and an openly gay politician, has secured the third position on the final list of the ruling Likud party for the upcoming parliamentary elections on October 27, 2026. The party list, officially submitted on September 8 , is headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Energy Minister Eli Cohen in the second position.

Ohana, who has served as Speaker of the Parliament since 2022, was the first openly gay person to hold this position, and previously the first openly gay MP for the center-right Likud party. His high placement on the electoral list was secured following the internal party primaries in August 2026, where he received the second-highest number of votes among candidates on the national list.

In total, 35 Likud candidates were included in the list submitted to the Central Elections Committee. The final approval of the lists of all 38 political alliances participating in the elections will take place on September 27. According to polls, no single party is likely to gain an absolute majority of seats in the Knesset, making the election results and the formation of the government dependent on the creation of coalitions involving smaller political forces.