Mapai Wins in Histadrut Elections; Gets 55% in Early Tabulations

With only about 75 percent of the 635, 000 eligible voters casting their ballots, yesterday’s national elections conducted by Histadrut, the Israel Federation of Labor, indicated that the candidates of the ruling Mapai Party won 55 percent of the votes, against 57 percent in the last Histadrut elections, several years ago.

Early tabulations indicated these figures for Mapai and showed the left-wing Mapam Party garnering twelve and a half percent of the vote, the same as four years ago; Ahdut Avodah, 16 percent, against a previous fourteen and a half percent; Haoved Hazioni, sponsored by the Progressive Zionists, seven percent against the previous 5. 3 percent; Communists, four percent, the same as in the last elections.

Other parties running candidates for Histadrut office were the General Zionist Workers, whose vote was somewhat less than that given Haoved Hazioni; and the Religious Workers. Final results are not expected earlier than Wednesday. But the trend in the tabulations seems to be holding, as more votes come into Histadrut headquarters here.

The Communists showed losses in the big cities, but recorded gains in new immigrant centers. In Tel Aviv, the Communists lost two percent of their previous vote. A feature considered significant is the gain shown by Ahdut Avodah in Beersheba and Haifa, against a Mapai decrease in the same cities.

Mapai election chief Joseph Almogi called the election “an important victory, ” in view of the strong attacks against Mapai carried out by all the opposition parties. On the other hand, leaders of Ahdut Avodah and Haoved Hazioni expressed their satisfaction with the results, maintaining that the results will give their parties greater influence in the Federation of Labor.