Second round of municipal elections set for March 10 in undecided settlements

According to the law, if more than two candidates run for the post of municipality head and none secures over 40% of the votes, a second round of elections is mandated, usually held two weeks after the initial round.

However, this time, due to Ramadan starting on March 12, the vote was rescheduled to March 10.

Notable cities with undecided mayoral races include Haifa, Kiryat Gat, Ramla, Beit Shemesh, Harish, Tirat HaCarmel, and Yehud, among others, as well as several regional councils and smaller municipalities.

In Rehovot and Ness Ziona, candidates have garnered 39.3% of the votes before counting double envelope votes, with the fate of the second round pending confirmation.

Meanwhile, Kiryat Motzkin has determined its winner, marking the first mayoral change in 30 years with Tsiki Avisar's victory.

In other recent elections, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem re-elected Ron Huldai and Moshe Leon respectively, while several mayors across Israel retained their positions.

Notable changes include Holon's first mayoral shift in three decades, electing Shai Keinan, and Noam Jumaa becoming the new mayor of Beit She'an.

Additionally, various cities saw shifts in leadership such as Kiryat Ono, Safed, Tiberias, Ma'alot-Tarshiha, El'ad, Sakhnin, and Herzliya, where outcomes are pending, with narrow margins separating leading candidates.