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Nazareth election beginning of end for Israel's Communist Party

The election loss in Nazareth could be the final blow for the Israeli Communist Party, a longtime major political force for Palestinian citizens in Israel.
Nazareth Mayor Ramez Jarrisi bids farewall to Pope John Paul II, as the pontiff departs after giving mass at the Basilica of the Annunciation, in the birthplace of Jesus March 25. The pontiff was on the penultimate day of a six-day pilgrimage.

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The loss of the Nazareth mayoralty in the March 11 recall elections marked the beginning of the end of the Israeli Communist Party in Israel. Ramez Jaraisi, the mayor for nearly four decades, lost to Ali Salam, who won more than 61% of the city’s votes.

Israeli Communist leaders in Nazareth accepted defeat and issued a statement six days later to congratulate the new winners, stating that they accepted the will of the people of Nazareth. They also promised to search hard for the reasons for their political setback. Jaraisi gained almost the same number of votes, 16,000, while his opponent (who was his deputy for years) won over the votes that went to other groups that competed in the first round against Jaraisi.

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