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Sharon's Likud fails to make gains in Israeli municipal elections
Khaleej Times, (DPA)
29 October 2003
JERUSALEM - Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon’s ruling Likud Party failed to make headway with the voters in Israel’s municipal elections but did not suffer the predicted pounding at the polls, results published in Israeli media on Wednesday showed.
“The Likud maintained its power convincingly and achieved great achievements,” Sharon said on Tuesday night, shortly after the first exit polls were published.
However on Wednesday morning his party colleague, front bench Likud legislator Roni Bar-On, described the result as a “respectable tie” between the Likud and the opposition Labour Party.
Returns from the elections showed Labour managed to retain control of two of Israel’s major cities and its candidates.
In most cases, incumbents were reelected, with the Labour Party retaining control of Tel Aviv through Mayor Ron Huldai and of Beersheeba through incumbent Yakov Turner.
Elections were not held in Jerusalem and Haifa, Israel’s largest and third-largest cities.
The elections focused on municipal, rather than national issues, and were held against the backdrop of a worsening economic situation.
Because of this, some pundits predicted an unpopular government economic programme would lead voters to punish the Likud at the polls.
Voter turnout was low - only 41 per cent - the lowest turnout for an election in Israel’s history.
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| Earth, a planet hungry for peace |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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| The Israeli apartheid (security) wall around Palestinian population centers in the West Bank (Ran Cohen, pmc, 5/24/03). |
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