Leader of the Yamina list Ayelet Shaked was under fire Wednesday after exit polls from Tuesday's do-over election predicted only seven seats for her party, considerably fewer than the party had expected to win under her leadership.
Shaked reportedly said at a meeting with party officials on Monday evening that if she failed to bring in more than seven seats, she would resign.
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A senior Yamina official said Wednesday: "She has no leadership ability. We're in shock. She managed to push a pencil around. We're waiting for her to resign."
Shaked was named leader of Yamina after lengthy talks with the other parties on the list, Habayit Hayehudi and National Union. Habayit Hayehudi leader Rafi Peretz agreed to forgo the top spot on the list in the hope that Shaked, a secular woman, would bring in a broader base of support.
Late Tuesday evening, Peretz and National Union leader Bezalel Smotrich announced that their parties would split from the Yamina list.
Shaked told party activists: "I believe strongly in Yamina and I believe that we need to go on together, and not split up. In any case, we are continuing to work together in coalition talks, as well as in the Knesset."
"We still don't know the final results. Let's wait until the morning and then see. We need to see how many seats the [right-wing] bloc has," Shaked said.
In the April 9 election, the New Right under Shaked and former Education Minister Naftali Bennett failed to make it past the minimum electoral threshold of 3.25% and was therefore not represented in the 21st Knesset.
