Of the 3,787,860 Israelis eligible to vote in local municipal elections today, a record few of them cast their ballots. Israel’s Arabs though, have shown up in overwhelming numbers to exercise their right to vote – something most Arabs of the Middle East don’t have the opportunity to do.
A record 93 percent of Abu Ghosh residents cast their votes today, with other Arab towns averaging over an 80 percent turnout. The overall nationwide turnout at 10 PM was 41 percent, which is a 20 percent decrease from local elections five years ago.
A notable exception was the city of Nahariya, which saw 70 percent of it 41,000 eligible voters cast ballots to elect their new mayor. Nahariya is home to 10,000 new immigrants and 6,000 senior citizens, both of whom had a large turnout at the voting stations, contributing to today's local record.
Interior Ministry employees throughout the country took a break from their strike this morning to issue identification cards, without which voters cannot exercise their democratic right to choose. Close to 5,000 identity cards were in fact issued today to people wishing to take part in the elections.
In most parts of the country, the 5,705 polling stations opened at 7 AM and will close at 10 PM Haifa and Jerusalem did not hold elections today, however, because both cities held special elections in June, after their previous mayors were elected to the Knesset.
Among the more prominent of the 600 candidates running for Mayor somewhere in Israel (not including incumbents) are former GSS Chief Carmi Gillon (Mevaseret Zion), Yisachar Frankental (unopposed in Bnei Brak), and Jackie Levy, eldest son of former Foreign Minister David Levy (Beit She'an). Eli Moyal is running for re-election in Sderot, while another candidate of the same name is seeking to regain his lost mayoral seat in Mevaseret Zion.
A record 93 percent of Abu Ghosh residents cast their votes today, with other Arab towns averaging over an 80 percent turnout. The overall nationwide turnout at 10 PM was 41 percent, which is a 20 percent decrease from local elections five years ago.
A notable exception was the city of Nahariya, which saw 70 percent of it 41,000 eligible voters cast ballots to elect their new mayor. Nahariya is home to 10,000 new immigrants and 6,000 senior citizens, both of whom had a large turnout at the voting stations, contributing to today's local record.
Interior Ministry employees throughout the country took a break from their strike this morning to issue identification cards, without which voters cannot exercise their democratic right to choose. Close to 5,000 identity cards were in fact issued today to people wishing to take part in the elections.
In most parts of the country, the 5,705 polling stations opened at 7 AM and will close at 10 PM Haifa and Jerusalem did not hold elections today, however, because both cities held special elections in June, after their previous mayors were elected to the Knesset.
Among the more prominent of the 600 candidates running for Mayor somewhere in Israel (not including incumbents) are former GSS Chief Carmi Gillon (Mevaseret Zion), Yisachar Frankental (unopposed in Bnei Brak), and Jackie Levy, eldest son of former Foreign Minister David Levy (Beit She'an). Eli Moyal is running for re-election in Sderot, while another candidate of the same name is seeking to regain his lost mayoral seat in Mevaseret Zion.