Sharon's Likud loses in local elections
( 2003-10-29 10:33) (Agencies)
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party took some losses in city elections Tuesday but rebuffed predictions that voters would severely punish its local candidates because of Israel's troublesome security and economic situation.
The partial results reported on Israel Radio showed candidates from the Labor Party — crushed by Likud in a national election just nine months ago — won several contests against Likud candidates and maintained control of some main cities.
However, local issues and patronage considerations, rather than the national issues appeared to be the main factors motivating voters' choices.
"The Likud continues to be the central political movement on all levels," Sharon said in a statement released to the media shortly after polls closed.
Opposition Labor Party leader Shimon Peres disputed Sharon's assessment. "I believe there was some rejection of the involvement of both of the major parties in the election — there's no escaping that," Peres told Israel Radio.
In local elections, Israelis cast separate ballots for mayor and city council.
Zvi Bar, a longtime Likud member running as an independent, won handily in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, while former police commissioner Yaacov Terner of the Labor Party was easily re-elected in the southern city of Beersheba.
Local elections were not held in two of Israel's three largest cities, Jerusalem and Haifa.
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