The Zionist entity was braced for municipal elections on Tuesday with local occupation authorities facing public pressure over corruption accusations.

The Zionist entity was braced for municipal elections on Tuesday with local occupation authorities facing public pressure over corruption accusations.

Polling stations in 191 municipalities opened their doors at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) to allow Israel's 5,469,041 registered voters to cast their ballots for both a mayor and a list of local council candidates.

A total of 767 candidates are running for mayor while 1,912 are contending for seats on local councils.

Turnout figures have traditionally been low in local elections, with only 51.85 percent participating in the last vote in 2008.
And participation this year looks set to be further harmed by a series of corruption scandals plaguing several local authorities.

As revelations continue to emerge from the trial of former prime minister Ehud Olmert, who is fighting bribe-taking allegations in a massive property scandal from his time as Jerusalem mayor, four mayors have been arrested in the past year and four others indicted for serious wrongdoing.

A survey last week showed that 63 percent of Israelis think their local authority is corrupt, 19 percent believe the opposite while only 57 percent of the 501 people interviewed said they planned to vote.