LEAD: Israeli's ruling Likud Party leadership primary underway

Jan 31, 2012, 12:23 GMT

Tel Aviv - The members of Israel's ruling Likud Party headed to the polls on Tuesday to elect a new leader and party central committee.

Likud's current leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 62, was expected to win easily against his only challenger, Moshe Feiglin, a 49-year-old West Bank settler with pronounced hawkish views.

However, the Jerusalem Post daily quoted 'sources close to Netanyahu' as expressing concern that a low voter turnout could inflate support for Feiglin, whose supporters might flock to the polls in large numbers.

The assessment in the Netanyahu camp is that Feiglin would receive around 25 per cent support.

Netanyahu's supporters said a higher percentage would be a 'symbolic embarrassment' to the premier, who, in the last Likud leadership primary in August 2007, beat Feiglin by 73.2 per cent to 23.4 per cent.

Netanyahu is worried that heightened support for Feiglin would enable rivals to portray Likud as an extremist hawkish party, thus eroding its support in a national election.

Casting his ballot in Jerusalem, Netanyahu urged eligible Likud members to come and vote, saying that this would give a clear picture of what Likud really stood for.

Israel's next national election is not scheduled until 2013. However, Netanyahu's decision to bring forward his party's leadership primary has increased speculation he might call an early poll.

Surveys currently show Likud, under Netanyahu's leadership, as easily getting the most votes in any national election.

Some 125,000 Likud members are eligible to vote, in more than 150 countrywide polling stations. Polls, which opened at 10 am (0800 GMT) close at 10 pm. Results are not expected until after midnight.