A Rafi Smith Institute poll published on Thursday, 13 Cheshvan 5774 shows what recently appeared to be a closed race favoring Mayor Nir Barkat appears to be a different reality today, five days before Election Day. Smith reports that 80% of chareidim in the capital will vote for Moshe Leon; 88% will vote as instructed by rabbonim; 7% are not planning to vote for Leon; and 9% remain undecided.

A BaKehilla reports shows that Likud/Beitenu and chareidi candidate Moshe Leon has shown he enjoys the support of no less than 35,000 non-chareidi voters, and if this is so, he does indeed have a good chance of unseating Barkat.

While Degel Hatorah and Bnei Torah remain locked in dispute and this will lead to the loss of a seat or two for the former, this dispute will not impact the ballot for mayor. Polls show 93% of chareidim in the capital will vote, and most of that vote appears headed for Leon, not Barkat. The split in Degel will most likely lead to Degel losing a seat in the city council, if not two.

BaKehilla adds it has learned that in recent days, Shas leader Aryeh Deri made a personal appeal to the Belzer Rebbe Shlita to instruct chassidim to vote Leon. Sons of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L reportedly did the same as did MK (Yahadut Hatorah) Rav Yaakov Asher. When asked to comment, MK Yisrael Eichler declined and remained silent on the matter of the Belze community vote.

The Leon campaign feels with the 35,000 non-chareidi votes and the fact the city has 95,000 registered chareidi voters, Leon has a very good chance of ousting Barkat from office.

Walla News quotes Mayor Barkat on Thursday, 13 Cheshvan saying “A person who does not understand a field hasn’t a chance of succeeding” in regard to his opponent Moshe Leon.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)