After the votes were tabulated Mayor Moshe Abutbul was declared the winner in the court ordered Beit Shemesh reelection race. According to Ministry of the Interior officials early Wednesday morning, the incumbent received 19,401 votes as compared to opponent Eli Cohen who received 18,643 votes, a difference of 758 ballots — taking 51.3% of the votes.
Voter turnout was 76%, less than many expected but nevertheless well above the national average for a municipal race, especially when one realizes many of the chareidi residents do not vote, ever. The voter turnout back in the October 2013 mayoral race was a 67%, still higher than the national average of 48%.
Of the 50,000 eligible voters in the city, about 30,000 identify with the dati leumi camp but the voter turnout in the chareidi community is still higher, hence the victory.
In the other reelection race held on Tuesday, in Nazareth, voter turnout was 83.6%. In that race, the incumbent emerged the victor too. Mayor Eli Salem received 27,666 votes, beating his opponent by a comfortable margin. Ramzi Jerasi received 17,266 votes.
How does the regular non-Beit Shemesh Israeli see the election? If he reads Ynet (Hebrew) he sees the headline “Beit Shemesh Remains Chareidi”, or Haaretz (Hebrew) which writes “The Secular Lost: Moshe Abutbul Won the Elections and Returns to Beit Shemesh”. These headlines set the tone for the Knesset plenum vote on the draft bill later in the day.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Many of those disappointed have been talking about moving out. Before they do so I’d just like to wish them the best of luck in their new municipalities. It was nice knowing you.
The Chareidim picked up at least a seat or two more in the city council. This means that they will now enjoy an outright majority rather than less than a majority they won in the first-round of the election. Those who forced this new election with their lawsuit would have been better off just accepting the first election and they would have had more power in the city council. Now they doubly-lost.
May it be the beginning of the light in the dark tunnel we are in.
It’s unbelievable hashgacha that BIBI is facing the biggest nightmare a threat if being embarrassed by his own MKs in front if a visiting PM, start up with Hashem’s torah and u will get a kick from the unexpected place.
I don’t see anything incendiary about those headlines am I missing something?
There are tight elections all over the world. Some how the world goes on. I have no doubt that now that the political activists have clearly either lost or acquired the jobs they were fighting over, the temperature in the city will cool.
It is possible to have unity and good will even in a “divided” city. Unity does not mean that everyone thinks alike, dresses alike or acts alike. It means that they share a common goal but will passionately argue over the best means of reaching that goal. It means that those of different opinions can be political opponents but never, never enemies! We have no lack of real enemies, we do not have to convert out brothers and sisters into fictitious ones.
So let us argue. Let us debate. But let us never, never see each other as enemies no matter how much we disagree.
WRONG headline!
Rather write: A MAJORITY OF BEIT SHEMESH RESIDENTS ARE HAPPY!
And NO! There are no 30000 voters who identify with the D”L community. That’s nonsense! If that would have been true then they would win the election.
The Chareidi population is already now by far the majority in the city, B”H!
Can Bet Shemesh be a city of SHALOM and Kiddush hashem? That is the question and time will tell.