1944 Assembly of Representatives election

1944 Assembly of Representatives election
Mandatory Palestine
← 1931 2 August 1944 1949 →

173 seats in the Assembly of Representatives
Party Leader % Seats
Mapai David Ben-Gurion 36.85 64
Left Bloc (HH–PZ) 12.39 21
New Aliyah Pinchas Rosen 10.72 19
Hapoel HaMizrachi Haim-Moshe Shapira 9.45 16
Ahdut HaAvoda Israel Rokach 9.04 16
Mizrachi Yehuda Leib Maimon 3.28 7
Yemenite Association Saadia Kobashi 2.53 4
Democratic Centre 2.37 4
WIZO Rachel Cohen-Kagan 2.17 4
PCP Shmuel Mikunis 1.90 3
Maccabi 1.87 3
HaOved HaTzioni 1.86 3
Independent Religious List 1.57 2
Merchants 0.84 2
PMFJS 0.71 1
Mizrachi Women 0.61 1
Yemenite Workers 0.48 1
Oriental Religious Group 0.27 1
Religious Women Workers 0.02 1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
President of the Jewish National Council before President of the Jewish National Council after
Yitzhak Ben-Zvi
Mapai
David Remez
Mapai
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Elections to the Assembly of Representatives of Mandatory Palestine were held on 2 August 1944.[1] Just over 200,000 Jewish residents voted, more than 70% of all those eligible to vote. This compared with just over 50,000 who voted at the previous elections in 1931. The difference reflected the high level of Jewish immigration to Palestine in the 1930s and 1940s.

Campaign

A total of 24 parties contested the elections, nominating 1,694 candidates.[1] However, the Revisionist-Zionist Hatzohar party, Sephardic Bloc, the General Zionist Group “B” and the Jewish Farmers Association boycotted the elections.[2]

Results

PartyVotes%Seats
Mapai73,12236.8564
Left Bloc (Hashomer HatzairPoale Zion Left)24,58212.3921
New Aliyah Party21,27910.7219
Hapoel HaMizrachi18,7489.4516
Ahdut HaAvoda17,9289.0416
Mizrachi6,5133.287
Yemenite Association5,0192.534
Democratic Centre4,7042.374
Women's International Zionist Organization4,3142.174
Palestine Communist Party3,7801.903
Maccabi3,7181.873
HaOved HaTzioni3,6851.863
Independent Religious List3,1181.572
Merchants1,6730.842
People's Movement for a Jewish State1,4180.711
Mizrachi Women1,2170.611
Yemenite Workers9570.481
HaOved HaDati7900.400
Discharged Soldiers and Families6660.340
Oriental Religious Group5430.271
Young Men of Aden2640.130
Bnei HaYishuv2400.120
National Workers Front1180.060
Religious Women Workers300.021
Total198,426100.00173
Valid votes198,42698.78
Invalid/blank votes2,4551.22
Total votes200,881100.00
Source: Palestine Post

Around 80% of the elected Assembly members supported the Biltmore Declaration, which demanded the creation of a "Jewish Commonwealth" after World War II.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b American Jewish Yearbook 1945-46 p460
  2. ^ a b Final Results of Palestine Elections Announced; Laborite Groups Form Majority Jewish Telegraph Agency, 10 August 1944