The Supreme Court today issued an order forbidding Pinhas Rashish, newly-elected Mapam Mayor of Petach Tikvah, from carrying out the duties of his office until the court can determine the validity of a challenge to the legality of his election.
The challenge was brought by an attorney who charged that the election was invalid for two reasons, both based on the residence of A. Neuman, Mizrachi Laborite who voted for Rashish. The attorney asserted that Mr. Neuman had moved out of Patach Tikvah before the municipal council met and was therefore not entitled to his own seat on the council.
Therefore, the challenger insisted, the entire session was illegal, because of Mr. Neuman’s voting. In the event the session is ruled legal, the attorney continued, the election results can be challenged on the basis that Mr. Neuman’s vote broke an eight to eight tie and that his vote must now be discarded and a tie reinstituted.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.