JERUSALEM - Voting in the Israeli governing Likud party's primaries began on Thursday morning as a veteran politician attempts to unseat the country's longest-serving prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Some 116,048 Likud members would vote who they want to lead the party in Israel's next elections: Netanyahu or Gideon Saar, a Likud lawmaker and the first significant challenger of Netanyahu's more than decade-long rule.

The polls opened at 9 am local time (0700 GMT) and the party decided to extend the voting time and keep the polls open until 11 pm because of unusually stormy weather in Israel.

Official results are expected to be announced early Friday morning.

The winner will be the Likud's candidate in the national elections on March 2.

Saar cast his ballot with his wife, TV anchor Geula Even, in Tel Aviv.

He urged his supporters to "go out and vote despite the difficult weather outside".

Saar, who is supported by a few Likud lawmakers, reiterated his message that only he could break the year-long political deadlock and form a governing coalition headed by the Likud, after Netanyahu failed to do so in the last two rounds of elections.

Netanyahu, who is fighting for his political survival, issued on Facebook a statement to his supporters.

Earlier in December, Saar, 53, announced that he will run against 70-year-old Netanyahu.

The embattled leader is facing criminal indictment in three separate corruption scandals, in which he is charged with bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing and says the charges are part of "a witch-hunt".

If Netanyahu wins the primary in his party, he is likely to stay in office at least until March when the national elections will be held.

The unprecedented national elections will be the third time Israelis would cast their ballots in fewer than a year as political deadlock has paralyzed the Israeli political system over the past months.