Evening star., 1949-01-26
Fairly Israeli Returns
!! Indicate Approval for
Coalition Government
BY The Assoeiofed Pres,

:. TEL AVN, Israel, Jan. 90
israeli voters appeared today to
have approved the party
government of their 8-month-
Old state.
. With nearly half the vote counted
IN yesterdays election of the first
Hebrew Parliament in history, Prime
Minister David Ben-Gurions mod
crate left labor party. Mapai, was
leading with 355 per cent of all
votes. Twenty-one parties had put
mp candidates.
y The returns were from 256 places,
Including all of Jerusalem and
Haifa, many parts Of Tel Aviv and
Npme $50 smaller towns and villages.
n The result appeared to guarantee
q continuity in the cautious foreign
policy which brought the newborn
nation through its first critical eight
months while fighting off Arab
League armies and balancing po-
Htically between east and west.
=, Leftist Party Gets I4.6 Per Cent.
~ Another labor party, the left-wing
Mapam, also represented in the
nresent provisional cabinet, had 14.6
per cent of the vote A bloc of five
parties which stressed religious ira
dltion as desirable for the founda-
lions Of the new state had 14.1 per
cent.
~ Two other parties in the cabinet,
The general Zionists and the pro-
gressives, who are in a liberal group
Of parties to the right of Mapai. had
b.4 and 4.8 per cent, respectively.
> Neither the right-wing nationalist
PARTIES nor the Communists sue
ceeded in seriously challenging the
provisional regime on the basis of
the present returns.
a The Freedom Movement, headed
BY Menachem Begin, former up
derground leader of Irgun Zvai
Leumi, had received go per cent
Of all votes cast.
/. The Communist Party received
s5 per cent.
12e Picked for Parliament.
! The election was to choose 100
members of a constituent assembly
which will write new constitu-
tion and continue as Parliament.
So far only percentage figures
were being announced The total
vote was not expected to be an
llounced until soldiers ballots were
received and included in the civilian
figures, This may take several days.
/. The election was completely
peaceful, and. apparently, most of
the approximately 100000 eligible
voters went to the polls.
On the whole the splinter groups
did not pull many votes Some will
not be represented at all-others by
only one representative in the in
coming assembly
: The percentage of the votes now
known includes no army results,
Technical difficulties in counting
army votes may delay announcement
OF the final score until the week end.
Observers forecast that outStand-
ing army and Tel Aviv ballots will
produce little change in the overall
picture, but bring slight improve
ment to both the Mapai and Mapam.
and possibly help Begins group.
For many, Jews and Arabs, voting
was q brand-new experience. Many
Of the Jews are from Eastern Euro
pean lands. In Northern Israel
Druses, q war-like race of Syrian
origin, and Maronites, a Christian
sect of Syrian origin, were as intent
Nn their suffrage as others
Z, One 65-year-old Arab commented,
s1nsha1lah with Gods wild a good
government must come forth when
We all are asked to determine it.
Even the rails ministers and heads
Of states depend now on me and
my old wfe-what times we have
come to!'
Some of the Arab villages of
Western Galilee cast heavy vote
Tor the Arab DEMOCRATIC bloc which
is closely connected with Mr.. Ben
Gurion's Mapai Party.
!, The Hashomer Hatzair collective
settlements in the Jordan Valley
showed a big majority, however, for
the Mapam list. The Hashomer
Hatzair movement, a main group
within the Mapam Party, founded
The villages.