 Hi this is Daniel Rosel and welcome back to my YouTube channel which covers developments in Jerusalem and Israel. The city of Jerusalem is currently gearing up for municipal elections which are due to take place on October the 31st. Well that might seem like an eternity in Israeli terms where officially into the last 100 days of the countdown. Despite this local political parties are really only beginning to announce their election lists and formalizing their policies. Currently the mayor of Jerusalem is Moshe Leon who took over from near Barcat who is now a Likud politician and Israel's minister of economy. Leon is running for re-election alongside Ronit Ahtota Cohen who is a lecturer in neuroscience at Hebrew University. Running in opposition is the Hitora Root Party which recently made headlines by announcing the operation of a minibus service that had its first pilot run this Shabbat. Jerusalem residents have historically been bereft of any public transport solutions on Shabbat so this development was seen as a move intended to appeal to its secular voters. Hitora Root in Jerusalem is chaired by Adir Schwartz who at 29 is a few decades younger than the incumbent mayor but who believes that he represents the frustration of young Jerusalemites who are tired of seeing the city languishing economically and socially and a steady stream of young people leaving the city for better jobs and opportunity in Tel Aviv. Also sitting in opposition to the coalition governing Jerusalem held together by religious councilmen are Laura Wharton, a political scientist and Yossi Havilio who is a lawyer. Yossi Havilio's party and platform is called Matzilim Yerushalayim which in English translates to we're saving Jerusalem. The saving that Havilio and others are referring to is somewhat harder to pin down but a few major causes of dissatisfaction among residents that I could point to include the low socio-economic status of the city in general. Frustration was the economic and pay gap that stands between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv with Jerusalem's technology seen and average pay rates continuing to lag far behind those in the coastal city. For many young Jerusalemites commuting two hours each day to Tel Aviv and back is the only means of earning a decent living. The situation is unsustainable. There's also frustration with the lagging nature of the Jerusalem startup ecosystem. According to estimates shared by the Hitora Root party there remain only a handful of large tech employers in the city versus literally hundreds in Tel Aviv and the surrounding area. There's frustration with the high cost of housing in the city and the amount of construction being directed towards luxury developments that remain unaffordable for local residents trying to get another property ladder. And there's also frustration at the extreme rate of construction going on throughout the city to build those apartments. The keyword as you may have guessed is frustration. According to Jerusalem post correspondent Peggy Sidor some have hoped for Havilio and Wharton to form a joint alliance as the ideological gaps between the two candidates are relatively small but so far that has not happened. Jerusalem's last municipal elections were held in 2018. Moshe Leon won 33 percent to the vote with Hitora Roots over Berkowitz coming in at 29 percent. The Arab populace of East Jerusalem which is the part of Jerusalem to the east of the green line boycotted the election. For them voting in the elections would be seen as legitimizing Israel's annexation of the territory in 1967. During the course of the upcoming 70 or so days until the municipal elections Jerusalem residents can expect to see a lot more campaigning and sloganeering. Jerusalem is unique among Israeli cities both for being the largest city in the country with almost one million residents and also for having a largely religious Jewish population. Whatever the results of the upcoming elections a key issue for Jerusalemites will be seen whether both religious and secular residents and politicians can come together for the shared betterment of their city. Thanks for watching this video and if you'd like to get more from me about life in Israel and Jerusalem then please consider subscribing.