CBNNews.com - JERUSALEM, Israel - A poll conducted for the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot shows that 49 percent of the city's residents will vote for Jerusalem businessman Nir Barkat in the upcoming mayoral elections.

With 71 percent of respondents agreeing that the city is becoming increasingly haredi (ultra-Orthodox), 73 percent of the secular residents surveyed said they will vote in this election.

In the last elections, a sparse turnout by the secular population, compared with a large turnout by the religious population, gave ultra-Orthodox Uri Lupolianski the victory over Nir Barkat.

In this latest survey, three months before the election, 60 percent of the religious and 73 percent of the traditional community support Barkat.

The ultra-Orthodox candidate to replace Lupolianski, Meir Porush, does not appear to enjoy the same support, even among the religious population.

In addition to Barkat and Porush, Russian billionaire Arcadi Gaydamak has thrown his hat into the race, but according to the poll, he doesn't have strong backing.

While the rabbis will instruct the religious population as to how they should vote, if Jerusalemites want Barkat as their next mayor, they will have to make their votes count.

Source: YNet news