An ultra-Orthodox Jewish politician faced a secular businessman Tuesday in Jerusalem's mayoral race _ an election whose outcome could boldly define the future character of the polarized holy city.
Longtime ultra-Orthodox politician Meir Porush and venture capitalist Nir Barkat were among hundreds of hopefuls running in mayoral elections across the country.
Another closely watched contest was in Tel Aviv, where a two-term incumbent was fielding a surprisingly strong challenge by a Communist lawmaker.
Barkat, 49, was mounting a second run for the mayor's job, representing the city's dwindling secular population, which is leery of religious coercion. Both he and Porush were trying to brand themselves as crossover candidates, appealing to both secular and religious with calls for affordable housing, better services, improved education and Jewish sovereignty over the entire city.
More mundane issues face the incoming mayor. Financially strapped because a large proportion of its residents are poor, downtown Jerusalem has become shabby and dirty. In the past year it has also become a dusty construction zone with the building of a light rail tying up traffic and angering residents and merchants alike.
Barkat was emphasizing economic issues, aiming to persuade younger Israelis to stay in the city. Porush labeled his campaign "Jerusalem for everyone," but his focus was on services for the city's Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jews, who together make up a majority of its residents.
Many voters in the city of 750,000 were likely to vote on the basis of the candidates' headgear, with religious Jews casting ballots for Porush, with his skullcap, sidelocks and flowing white beard, and secular Jews opting for the clean-shaven Barkat with his uncovered head.
Adina Freimark, a 20-year-old religious resident of Jerusalem, said she voted for Porush.
"I felt like I wanted someone who would care about Jerusalem as a city for the Jewish people," Freimark said. "There's a lot of talk about giving Jerusalem away and I want Jerusalem to stay in Jewish hands."
Barkat saw a low secular turnout as the major reason he lost the last municipal election in 2003, won by ultra-Orthodox Uri Lupolianski, who didn't stand for re-election. Public opinion polls show him as front-runner, but low participation by secular voters could tilt the scales in Porush's favor.
Two other candidates trailed far behind in the surveys: Multimillionaire Arcadi Gaydamak, who is on trial in absentia in France in an arms trafficking case, and marijuana legalization advocate Dan Biron.
Few of the city's roughly 250,000 Palestinians vote. They don't want to be seen as recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the city, whose eastern Arab sector Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed.
The mayor of Jerusalem doesn't have a say in the negotiations over the city's political future. But the city's chief can affect the delicate balance between Arab and Jew, especially in managing holy sites that are a regular flashpoint for violence.
Barkat and Porush have already raised tensions by advocating the construction of thousands of new Jewish apartments in contested east Jerusalem, where Palestinians hope to establish their future capital.
In Tel Aviv, the first city built by Zionists a century ago, two-term incumbent Ron Huldai was trying to fend off tough competition from 50-year-old Dov Khenin. Since 2006, Khenin has served in Israel's parliament on behalf of the Communist party Hadash. While Khenin is Jewish, his party is especially popular with Arab voters because of its calls for Palestinian and Arab rights.
But Khenin's strong environmental stand rather than his views on Arab-Jewish relations have won him popularity in Tel Aviv, Israel's commercial and cultural center, home to 390,000 people.
Huldai, 64, is a former general, fighter pilot and high school principal with a pro-business bent.
Polls were closing Tuesday night, with results expected early Wednesday.
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AP writer Shawna Ohm contributed to this report.
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