The Deri Campaign

4 Tishrei, 5769



Although Deri's supporters wanted to "let Jerusalem decide" if Arye Deri will be the next mayor of Jerusalem, the court felt otherwise:

Former Shas head Aryeh Deri cannot run for mayor of Jerusalem this year, the Jerusalem District Court ruled Thursday. Deri was barred from the race under a law mandating a seven-year wait before entering politics following a prison sentence. Deri was sentenced to prison in 1999 for bribery, and completed his sentence six years ago.

Deri's attorneys argued that at the time of his sentencing, the post-prison wait was only six years, meaning Deri would be eligible to enter politics in 2008. The wait was extended to seven years after Deri was sentenced, and cannot be applied retroactively, they said.

State attorney Inat Golomb argued that the waiting period could be extended retroactively because the wait did not constitute a punishment. Judge Moshe Sobel accepted the state's argument, and said the waiting period was meant to “maintain a reasonable period of time between the punishment and the elections.”

So unless Deri files an appeal and wins, the Deri campaign is over.