Despite a relatively low voter turnout in Israel’s municipal elections, preliminary results have found that the mayors of Israel’s three largest cities – Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa – have been re-elected for another five years.
Low voter turnout in both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv had incumbents Nir Barkat and Ron Huldai concerned. However, after 75% of the ballots in Jerusalem were counted, Barkat was leading over his rival Moshe Lion, who was supported by Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman and Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri.
Barkat was enjoying the support of 52% of Jerusalemites, while Lion received 44%.
The voter turnout at hareidi-religious neighborhoods in Jerusalem was about 70% and in secular neighborhoods it was about 30-50%. The voter turnout among Arab residents of eastern Jerusalem, who regularly boycott elections, was only 0.5%.
In Tel Aviv, Huldai received 53% of the votes, while his main rival, MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz), received 38%. A third mayoral candidate, Aharon Maduel, received 8.76%.
In Haifa, incumbent mayor Yona Yahav was also enjoying a lead over main rival Yaakov Borovoski after one third of the votes were counted.
Other results as of 4:05 a.m.:
In Be’er Sheva, incumbent mayor Rubik Danilovitch is leading.
In Sderot, Alon Davidi, who enjoyed the support of the Likud-Yisrael Beytenu, Labor, and Bayit Yehudi parties, was elected mayor, replacing David Buskila.
In Beit Shemesh, where turnout for the elections was high, there is a close race between incumbent mayor hareidi-religious Moshe Abutbul and Eli Cohen, who is supported by the Bayit Yehudi party.
In Lod, Likud candidate Yair Revivo is enjoying a lead over former Labor MK Yoram Marciano.
In Ramat Gan, candidate Yisrael Singer is leading over former Likud MK Carmel Shama Hacohen.
Incumbent Bat Yam mayor Shlomi Lachiani is leading in the count, despite the legal problems he has been facing over the last few days. On Sunday, just two days before the election, the Supreme Court ordered Lachiani to resign because of suspicions of corruption, but allowed him to run for re-election.
In Ra’anana it is believed that incumbent mayor Nahum Hoferi has lost position to his predecessor Zeev Bielski, who served as an MK for Kadima in the last Knesset.
Longtime Netanya mayor Miriam Feirberg is leading in her city, having run for the fourth straight time.
Likud candidate Haim Bibas is leading in the city of Modiin.
In the hareidi-religious city of Elad, Rabbi Yisrael Porush who was supported by the United Torah Judaism party is leading over Shas candidate Tzuriel Krispel.
In Efrat, incumbent mayor Oded Revivi won a second term in office by a majority of 63%.
The incumbent mayor of Maaleh Adumim, Benny Kashriel, has been re-elected.
In Kiryat Arba, incumbent mayor Malachi Levinger has been re-elected.
In Kiryat Malachi, Bayit Yehudi candidate Lalo Zohar was elected mayor.
Voter turnout rates were highest in hareidi-religious cities, including Bnei Brak, Elad, Kfar Kana and Segev Shalom, as well as in and Arab cities.
