The party, which seems to be composed mainly of notable figures from the various organizations that have been arranging protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent months, presented its list of candidates to the Knesset during Saturday's weekly protests near the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Balfour Street in Jerusalem.
"Starting tomorrow [Saturday] - the social upheaval becomes a political force," a statement by the party read.
"The Democratic Party was created in order to allow the protest to become a positive political force," the party's founder, Prof. Ehud Shapiro from the Weizmann Institute, noted. He added that the party is "open for anyone who supports and believes in the values of democracy in Israel."
The new party will be one of the few parties to carry out democratic primaries towards the upcoming elections, "allowing members of the Democratic Party to choose its leadership and list of candidates to the Knesset."
Among the figures competing for a spot on the party's list are founder of the Crime Minister organization, a prominent leader in the protests against Netanyahu, Ishay Hadas, Col. (Ret.) Rami Matan, Barak Cohen, Eran Etzion, former MK Meli Polishook-Bloch, Sadi Ben Shitrit and others, all of whom played an active role in the anti-Netanyahu protests.
"The party includes members and candidates to the Knesset who affiliate themselves with the different protest organizations ... The party itself does not belong to them, but they have definitely found it in a home," a party's spokesperson told The Jerusalem Post.
The official launch of the Democratic Party took place on Saturday, January 9, on Balfour Street in Jerusalem."The party will start the process of amending democracy in Israel from the inside and will set an example for how a democracy should work, based on fundamental values of liberty, equality and solidarity," Shapiro said during the party's launch on Saturday.