Internal Affairs Committee Approves New Date for Municipal Elections: Feb. 27

By Aryeh Stern

The Knesset’s Internal Affairs Committee on Monday approved the postponement of the general elections for local authorities to Tuesday, Feb. 27/18 Adar I.

13 MKs voted in favor of approving the postponement, while MK Walid Taha abstained, and MK Yusuf Atauna opposed it.

Committee Chairman MK Rabbi Yaakov Asher stated, “We cannot postpone the elections indefinitely. We added the option of the Feb. 27, which is the final date. Meanwhile, the IDF needs to prepare so that all candidates can take part in the elections.”

Rabbi Asher expressed that local authority elections are an essential democratic process that must be held on time. “The elections reflect the will of the people in the local authorities, and their significance is clear to everyone. The bill presented by the government spoke of a delay until Jan. 30, but after discussion and agreement in the committee, we settled on Feb. 27, 2024, as an additional date.”

Responding to MKs from the Arab parties who argued that many Arab local authorities would likely need a second election round, which would need to be scheduled in the month of Ramadan, Chairman Rabbi Asher stated, “We are working on a solution with the Interior Ministry. Perhaps we will advance the date of the second round before the start of the Ramadan. I don’t need to address the sensitivity to religious matters and fasting; that will be taken care of.”

During the meeting, the IDF reported that 1,130 reserve soldiers are expected to be released by Jan. 15, and for the remaining 688 reserve soldiers from 144 authorities, the release date is yet to be determined.

“We have begun working with the commands and units, and we will return with an answer regarding their release date,” reported Brigadier General Einat Ratz.