Huge Meetings Mark Closing of Israel’s Election Campaign; Vote Today

Israel’s electorate, 1,260,000 strong, was ready tonight for tomorrow’s fifth general elections, at which 120 members of the next Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, are to be chosen from among lists of candidates promulgated by 14 political parties. At 7 o’clock this evening, the election campaign was declared officially closed by the Central Election Committee, which issued a call to the country’s voters to maintain order and calm during the balloting tomorrow.

The government-owned radio, Kol Israel, will start broadcasting election results at midnight tomorrow, and will continue reporting results until noon Wednesday. — Closing campaign meetings and rallies held throughout this principal Israel metropolis today, indicated that the chief contenders would be the Mapai Party, the new Liberal Party formed by the recent merger of the General Zionists and Progressives, and Herut.

Each of the major parties held rallies here today addressed by their most illustrious speakers, Premier David Ben-Gurion drew a crowd estimated at 15,000 for a meeting on behalf of the Mapai. Menachem Beigin, for Herut, addressed almost twice as many listeners in the largest rally held in this city. For the Liberals, Dr. Nahum Goldmann spoke to a rally attended by 10,000 persons.

Last night, Mr. Ben-Gurion drew an audience of 40,000 to a Mapai rally at Haifal Huge crowds also turned out to rallies in Jerusalem, addressed for Mapai by ex-Premier Moshe Sharett and for Herut by Aryeh Altman. Finance Minister Levi Eshkol and Minister of Agriculture Moshe Dayan addressed large Mapai rallies at Beersheba.

As soon as the campaign was officially closed this evening, tens of thousands of party workers took up their election precinct posts throughout the country. Mapai had mobilized some 40,000 workers, while Herut and the Liberals had assigned 15,000 election workers each to man the precincts. The National Religious Party had 12,000 party workers at its posts. In addition, thousands of private automobiles, and virtually every taxicab in the country have been lined up by the various parties to help take voters to the polls.