Yona Yahav, a candidate for mayor of Haifa, votes in the local elections, Dania neighborhood polls, February 27, 2024/Yoav Itiel
Residents of 35 localities in Israel will choose today (Sunday) who will be their leader - in the second round of the local elections.
In these localities, including the city of Haifa, Nes Ziona and Beit Shemesh, no decision was reached in the first round, and the leading candidate was unable to garner the 40% of support required to win.
Today, as mentioned, today he will have to face the opponent who qualified after him again.
Starting at 13:00, the 992,866 residents entitled to vote will be allowed to go to approximately 2,083 polling stations placed in the same locations as in the previous round - and choose a candidate.
The polling stations will close at 22:00, and in smaller settlements about two hours earlier.
In the shadow of the war, polling stations will also be placed in combat zones, in bases and in hospitals. Unlike the first round - today no Sabbath day has been set, and the routine will take place as a series.
In Haifa, former mayor Yona Yahav will try to return to office, after serving in the position for 15 years until 2018, and thus try to defeat his opponent David Etzioni. The outgoing mayor, Einat Kalish Rotem, who ousted Yahav five years ago, did not receive support in the current elections. The polls predict a victory for Yahav - who was the leading candidate in the first round as well.
According to them, Yona Yahav won with 55.6% of the votes, while David Etzioni receives only 34.3%.
Yona Yahav and his wife Rivka vote in the elections in Haifa / Yoav Itiel
The race for mayor of Beit Shemesh, which still appears to be one of the most dramatic in the current round of elections for local authorities, did not reach a decision in the first round.
Now, the mayor who is considered controversial Aliza Bloch, was still in the lead and was close to victory - but failed to collect the required 40%.
Because of this, she will compete with the candidate on behalf of the Torah flag, Shmuel Greenberg.
Among the prominent localities that will today decide on their leadership in the next five years are also Rehovot, Ariel, Or Akiva, Kiryat Gat, Pardes Hana-Karkur, Nes Ziona, Ramla and Nimina.
"I call on the residents of those 35 municipalities where the second round of the elections is being held today to exercise their democratic right today as well," said the Minister of the Interior, Moshe Arbel.
"Go out, vote and influence the future of the local authority where they live and thereby strengthen democracy in Israel."
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Soldiers voting in a military ballot box at one of the assembly areas on the Gaza border, February 27, 2024/TPS, Yossi Zeliger
From the data of the Ministry of the Interior, it appears that in the first round - only about 53% of Israeli citizens exercised their right to vote.
This is a decrease of about 6% from the previous elections held in 2018.
The voting percentages registered in the major municipalities: Bnei Brak 71.8%, Ashdod 57.1%, Rishon Lezion 45.6%, Haifa 43.7% and Tel Aviv 42.2%.
The highest percentages of voting at a rate of 93% and 94% were recorded in Ein Mahal, Sajur, Yerka and Buaina-Nojidat.
In contrast, the lowest voting percentages were recorded in the Meta Asher Regional Council - some of whose settlements were evacuated and therefore only 16.9% voted, in the Jordan Valley Regional Council 30.3% and also in the capital Jerusalem - 33.7% where many of the residents of the eastern part of the city do not usually vote.
More on the same topic:
local elections
Haifa
Beit Shemesh
Ness Ziona