MK (Shas) Yigal Guetta, who led his party’s support for Shelly Yacimovich’s bid for the Histadrut National Labor Federation leadership, explains why they didn’t back the incumbent, Avi Nissankoren.

He explained they spoke with both “and Nissankoren believed he has us in his back pocket”.

Nissankoren met with Shas representatives five times, but ultimately, the party backed Yacimovich.

Guetta spoke with Mendy Razel of Radio 101.5FM, explaining that he has been dealing with elections for 30 years, but he has never encountered results such as these. He spoke of stacks of votes that arrive in opened envelopes [which should be sealed to qualify]. He added there are voting stations with 300 registered voters, yet in fact, they are reporting 600 people voted at the same station.

Guetta was also asked how they went with Yacimovich, who back in the 19th Knesset refused to enter the coalition despite a call from HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef ZT”L and then when asked to come meet with Rav Yosef, refused again. Guetta explained he met with HaGaon HaRav Shalom Cohen Shlita, who heads the party’s Moetzas Gedolei Yisrael, and he did as instructed.

He laments the way he believes the election was handled and is hopeful that the Histadrut will revert back to what it was, representing and worrying about the needs of workers instead of getting wealthy off their backs.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)