Israel entered one of its most heated municipal election races Tuesday as Israelis geared up to cast their vote.
According to the Interior Ministry, some 6,653,808 Israelis are eligible to vote in the 2018 municipal elections. Polls in 251 cities, towns and councils opened at 7 a.m. (local time) and will close at 10 p.m.
Voters are casting two ballots: one for mayor – a five-year term – and another for the party list they wish to represent them on their city council.
Under Israeli law, in cities where no mayoral candidate receives over 40% of the votes, a runoff election will be held between the two top candidates. The second round, where needed, will be held on Nov. 13.
According to the Interior Ministry, 703 mayoral hopefuls – 665 men and 58 women – are participating in Tuesday's elections, and13,478 men and 3,975 women are seeking spots on municipal councils nationwide.
In 18 local councils and 11 regional councils, the mayoral candidates are running unopposed, the ministry said.
Voter turnout for municipal elections in Israel is traditionally low, with only 51% voting in the 2013 elections. Hoping to jolt the numbers, the 2018 local elections mark the first time Israelis have been given an official day off to vote for their local officials.
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri urged Israelis to vote, saying, "Exercise your right to influence the local government. It is a very important democratic right. Use this day off to have fun, but don't forget to vote first."
The 2018 municipal race was especially heated in Israeli's three largest cities, as the veteran mayors in Tel Aviv and Haifa were battling formidable challengers. In Jerusalem, where incumbent Nir Barkat is not running, the race appeared to be wide open.
The Israeli capital is the scene of the closest mayoral race, as no clear winner emerged in the run-up to Tuesday's vote.
The front-runners are Jerusalem Affairs Minister Zeev Elkin, Jerusalem City Council members Moshe Lion, Ofer Berkovitch and Aryeh King and ultra-Orthodox Deputy Mayor Yossi Deitch.
Jerusalem was also the first city where allegations of election fraud were made after several voters arrived in one of the polling stations to find that the registry showed them as having already voted.
The Interior Ministry was informed as said it would file a complaint with the Jerusalem District Police.
In Tel Aviv, four-term mayor Ron Huldai was facing an uphill battle opposite his deputy Asaf Zamir and comedian-turned-politician Asaf Harel.
While Huldai has maintained an edge over Zamir in the polls, the latter has been steadily closing it as his "It's time for change" campaign slogan seemed to be gaining traction with many of the city's residents.
Haifa, meanwhile, was gearing up for a potential upset as the run-up to the elections showed newcomer Einat Kalisch-Rotem closing in on incumbent Yona Yahav, who has been in office since 2003. If Kalisch-Rotem wins, she will become Haifa's first female mayor.
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are seen as most likely to hold a second round of elections between the two candidates who get the most votes.
