The elections in Ashdod were emotional from the first moment. No less than five candidates presented themselves for Tuesday’s mayor and city council elections, with the incumbent mayor, Yechiel Lasri, wanting to win another term.
Facing him are the duo Shimon Katznelson and Barak Seri. The latter withdrew his candidacy at the last minute to force Lasri into a second round, where his additional term could be at risk. Katznelson, the deputy mayor, received at least six seats in the previous elections and was the largest faction. As part of the rotation agreement between them, it was decided that if elected, Katznelson, an associate of Avigdor Lieberman, would serve as mayor for 4 years, and Seri, an associate of Aryeh Deri, would serve in the fifth year.
A sigh of relief was heard from Lasri after Avi Amsalem from Shas, who also held six seats in the council, withdrew his candidacy for mayor - and transferred his support to Lasri in the upcoming elections. Along with the support of the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox parties, Lasri is expected to lead in the polls, with the remaining question being whether he will manage to decide the race in the first round and receive more than 40 percent support.
Lasri, born in Morocco and a migrant to Israel at six, is a physician and politician currently serving as the mayor of Ashdod. After a diverse career, including serving in the Israeli Navy, working in internal medicine, and participating in politics through the Center Party, Lev, and Likud, Lasri transitioned from a Knesset member to local governance, becoming mayor in 2008.
Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama Hacohen will try to win a second term, while his opponent from the opposition, Yair Ilany, will attempt to take the lead. The incumbent mayor, Shama Hacohen, will try to win a second consecutive term after being elected in 2018, defeating his predecessor, Israel Zinger.
Ilany is Shama Hacohen's sworn opponent from the opposition. The mayor started his campaign late, a month before the elections planned for October, and already then, according to polls, he led Ilany, who had started his campaign months earlier. Manor, who was with Ilany in the opposition, announced shortly before the elections that she would run, but she withdrew last week and joined Ilany.
Other prominent names competing in the elections include Roy Barzilai, who ran for the city council on the ticket of fighting against religious coercion, and musician Ohad Hitman, who competed on the list of Israel Zeri.
Shama-Hacohen, an Israeli lawyer and politician, served as a Knesset member for Likud before becoming Israel's envoy to international organizations and then the mayor of Ramat Gan in 2018. Known for his independent stance within Likud and advocacy for LGBT protections, Shama-Hacohen has emphasized his Jewish heritage and engaged in significant political and environmental roles in Ramat Gan before his national and international political career.
