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Jerusalem mayoral race could require runoff

Israel Materials 31 October 2018 11:47 (UTC +04:00)
The race for mayor of Jerusalem was too close to call and could require a runoff after no single candidate won enough votes to clinch victory
Jerusalem mayoral race could require runoff

The race for mayor of Jerusalem was too close to call and could require a runoff after no single candidate won enough votes to clinch victory, Reuters reports citing Israeli media.

Israel held municipal elections nationwide, with much attention on the race in Jerusalem, where the country’s religious and political divides are often amplified.

Secular candidate and former Deputy Mayor Ofer Berkovitch and Moshe Lion, who won support from ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties, emerged as front-runners, beating out two other leading contenders, and will likely face off in a second round, according to Israel’s Channel 13 and other leading news outlets.

Official results may only come on Wednesday morning.

The incumbent mayor, Nir Barkat, is not seeking re-election.

Fueled by high birthrates, the ultra-Orthodox make up 10 percent of Israel’s majority Jews, and more than triple that - 36 percent - in Jerusalem.

Twenty-one percent of Jerusalem Jews are secular, while 43 percent are not ultra-Orthodox but religiously traditional.

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