JERUSALEM 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party held primary election on Tuesday to elect its candidates in the April 9 election.

A total of 142 candidates are vying in the vote, from which voters will select the top 12 preferred candidates to run in the Knesset (parliament) election.

Some 120,000 party members are eligible to cast ballot in Tuesday's vote. Official results are expected to be released on Wednesday.

The Likud primaries brought to a boil the feud between Netanyahu and former Likud minister Gidon Sa'ar.

According to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, Netanyahu accuses Sa'ar, alongside President Reuven Rivlin, of plotting to have the former Likud minister, not Netanyahu, form the next government after the polls.

Sa'ar denies the accusation and insists that he would back Netanyahu to form the next government.