Half a million members of the Histadrut labor federation are eligible to vote on
Tuesday for the leadership of the powerful union that has the ability to shut
down the economy.
The race has been hard fought as Labor MK Eitan Cabel
ran a negative campaign and incumbent Histadrut chief Ofer Eini has declined to
debate Cabel while spending millions of shekels on billboards and bus
advertisements across the country.
“Only in dictatorships are there that
many pictures of the leader everywhere,” Cabel said on Monday. “I implore
Jerusalem Post readers who are members of the Histadrut to come vote. Every vote
helps remove the rule of fear that currently exists in the Histadrut.
If
they don’t think Eini improved their lives, they should come vote for
me.”
Eini gave a rare interview to Israel Radio on Monday in which he
said he expected a high turnout. He mocked Cabel for not obtaining the support
of key unions within the Histadrut.
Opposition leader Shelly Yacimovich
called upon Labor MKs in Monday’s faction meeting at the Knesset to work on
Eini’s behalf in the election. She said a strong victory by Eini would
strengthen the party.
“There will be a tough battle over the 2013 budget
that will be fought more in the public eye than in the Knesset,” Yacimovich
said. “Our numbers in the Knesset are small, so the Histadrut could be a good
base of power for us.”
Yacimovich’s rival MK Amir Peretz objected, saying
that “Cabel can lead a much more successful battle against the
budget.”
Voting will open in the morning in more than 2,000 polling
stations across the country. There will also be some 250 mobile polling
stations.
Besides Histadrut chairman, voters will choose local Histadrut
representatives and women will choose the leader of the Na’amat women’s
organization.
Final results may not be available until later in the week.