A religious coalition was expected today to name the next mayor of Jerusalem to succeed the late Mayor Gershon Agron who died last week-end.
Although the Mapai party obtained the largest vote in the municipal elections and won eight of the 21 seats in the Municipal Council, the religious parties won an equal number of seats and were expected to pick up allies from among the five remaining seats to form a fusion administration. The Herut Party won three of the council seats, and the Progressives and Achdut one each.
The religious group’s designate for the mayoralty was expected to be Ernst Nebenzahl, 52, a banker-attorney, who headed the National Religious Party slate. A native of Frankfurt, Germany, he settled here in 1933 and is chairman of the advisory committee of the Bank of Israel and honorary Swedish Consul here. This was his first political venture.
The 30-year history of the General Zionists’ control of Tel Aviv’s municipal government seems to have ended, as the Mapai party increased its representation in the Municipal Council. The Mapai percentage was increased from 29 to 40 percent of the votes cast. Not only Mapai, but Herut also was ahead of the General Zionists. In some of the slum areas of this city, Herut votes ran ahead of both Mapai and the General Zionists.
Mayor Abba Khoushy, long the mayor of Haifa, has been re-elected on the Mapaiticket. He has increased his majority over the number of ballots he received four years ago.
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