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The results of Israel’s municipal elections are taking shape Tuesday night with Tel Aviv’s long-standing mayor Ron Huldai being reconfirmed in his post for another mandate after 20 years at the helm. His protégé-turned-nemesis Asaf Zamir, who was Huldai’s deputy before launching his own campaign for mayor, seems to have been defeated in the first round.
In Haifa, Labourite newcomer Einat Kalisch-Rotem seems to have beaten incumbent mayor Yona Yahav, thus becoming the first woman to lead a major city in Israel in the history of the state.
With most of the results in, turns out Haifa was the only major upset. Huldai won comfortably (though not a by landslide this time) and Jerusalem is going for a run-off. Still some very interesting takeaways. Likud’s Elkin getting only 20% in Jerusalem is ominous for Netanyahu>>
— Anshel Pfeffer (@AnshelPfeffer) October 31, 2018
In Jerusalem, none of the candidates reached the 40 percent threshold necessary to become mayor in the first round, as expected. Secular candidate Ofer Berkovitch, the founder and chairman of the Hitorerut (Hebrew for Awakening) movement, will likely be running against Moshe Leon, who has the unofficial support of ministers Avigdor Lieberman and Arye Dery. The second round between the two is slated for November 13.
>> Why I’m voting for the old man who has made Tel Aviv what it is | Opinion
Jerusalem Affairs Minister Ze’ev Elkin, whom received backing from Netanyahu, suffered a major setback in the Jerusalem race. East Jerusalem candidate Aziz Abu Sarah dropped out from the race about one month prior to elections due to pressure from both Israeli authorities and Palestinian nationalists.
In most cities and local governments in Israel, the majority of slates competing for seats are formed on an ad-hoc basis, and at most are only loosely aligned with national parties. Most mayoral candidates are independent, and while they vie for the endorsement of national leaders, whether they win or lose does not necessarily reflect on those who backed them, which is why national parties don’t see the results as a barometer of their popularity.
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