The National Religious Party is more than pleased with the results of yesterday's second-round municipal elections. For the first time in over 20 years, the party has not only one mayor, but two. The votes were held in some 40 towns in which no candidate obtained at least 40% of the vote in the first round two weeks ago. The NRP, competing in three localities yesterday, won two of them. Yishai Maimon in Tzfat, and Aryeh Farajun in Tirat Carmel (just south of Haifa) unseated the cities' respective incumbent Likud-party mayors and will head their city councils. In Kiryat Shmonah, Rabbi Nissim Malka did well enough to bring the incumbent Chaim Barbivai of the Likud to a second round, but Barbivai won 58% of yesterday's vote.
NRP leader Minister Effie Eitam and Tzfat's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu took part in a victory celebration for Maimon last night. Eitam said that the NRP had returned its former glory, and had "received the public's confidence in its Jewish and social path." Eitam said that the party had attained this "historic achievement" despite "attempts to ensure that we would not succeed." He was referring to a recent call by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef to vote specifically for the Likud and not for the NRP mayoral candidates. Rabbi Yosef has not forgiven the NRP for joining up with the anti-religious Shinui party in the national coalition.
Tirat Carmel's mayor-elect Aryeh Farajun, who was 12th on the NRP's Knesset list in the national elections earlier this year, will head a city of close to 19,000 inhabitants.
Tzfat, to be headed by Yishai Maimon, has a population of almost 27,000 people. He said today that his main priority would be improving education in the city. Maimon was one of the rescued pupils in the Maalot massacre of 1974, in which 22 schoolchildren and three teachers were killed. Among his rescuers was Baruch Fein of the elite Matkal unit - brother of NRP leader Effie Eitam.
Avi Lerner, spokesman for Minister Eitam, noted that all six NRP MKs and ministers visited the three towns in question yesterday.
Other municipal election results: Sderot's incumbent mayor Eli Moyal won another term; in Ashkelon, Roni Mahtzri unseated Likud-supported Shabtai Tzur; in the Yesha town of Elkanah, the incumbent did not run, and Yehuda Cohen narrowly beat out Tzachi Fenton; and Moshe Spector - mayor of Maccabim-Reut before it was combined with Maccabim - will be the mayor of the new municipality of almost 50,000 residents.
NRP leader Minister Effie Eitam and Tzfat's Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu took part in a victory celebration for Maimon last night. Eitam said that the NRP had returned its former glory, and had "received the public's confidence in its Jewish and social path." Eitam said that the party had attained this "historic achievement" despite "attempts to ensure that we would not succeed." He was referring to a recent call by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef to vote specifically for the Likud and not for the NRP mayoral candidates. Rabbi Yosef has not forgiven the NRP for joining up with the anti-religious Shinui party in the national coalition.
Tirat Carmel's mayor-elect Aryeh Farajun, who was 12th on the NRP's Knesset list in the national elections earlier this year, will head a city of close to 19,000 inhabitants.
Tzfat, to be headed by Yishai Maimon, has a population of almost 27,000 people. He said today that his main priority would be improving education in the city. Maimon was one of the rescued pupils in the Maalot massacre of 1974, in which 22 schoolchildren and three teachers were killed. Among his rescuers was Baruch Fein of the elite Matkal unit - brother of NRP leader Effie Eitam.
Avi Lerner, spokesman for Minister Eitam, noted that all six NRP MKs and ministers visited the three towns in question yesterday.
Other municipal election results: Sderot's incumbent mayor Eli Moyal won another term; in Ashkelon, Roni Mahtzri unseated Likud-supported Shabtai Tzur; in the Yesha town of Elkanah, the incumbent did not run, and Yehuda Cohen narrowly beat out Tzachi Fenton; and Moshe Spector - mayor of Maccabim-Reut before it was combined with Maccabim - will be the mayor of the new municipality of almost 50,000 residents.