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Elections to the Assembly of Representatives of Mandatory Palestine were held on 5 January 1931.^[1] Mapai emerged as the largest party, winning 27 of the 71 seats.

Electoral system

The Jewish National Council reduced the number of seats in the Assembly from 221 to 71, the same number of representatives in the ancient Great Sanhedrin. Voting was open to all naturalized Palestinian citizens who were registered as Jewish and at least 20 years old. To ensure that representation of Sephardic and Yemenite Jews would reflect their share of Palestine's Jewish population, the National Council agreed to a provision guaranteeing 17 seats to Sephardic and Yemenite candidates, irrespective of their placement on their respective parties' lists.^[2] As a result, voter choice was limited by ethnic group; Ashkenazi Jews could only vote for Ashkenazi lists, whilst Sephardic Jews and Yemenite Jews were similarly constrained.^[1]

Campaign

A total of 18 lists contested the elections,^[1] which were boycotted by Agudat Yisrael in protest at women being allowed to vote and the Yishuv's approach to religious education and ritual slaughter.^[1]

Results

Party		Votes	%	Seats
	Mapai	21,497	43.45	27
	Revisionists	8,069	16.31	10
	Mizrachi–Hapoel HaMizrachi	4,107	8.30	5
	General Zionists	2,841	5.74	5
	Sephardic Bloc	2,301	4.65	6
	Sephardic Revisionists	2,121	4.29	5
	Women's Association	1,861	3.76	3
	Sephardic Workers	1,653	3.34	4
	Yemenites	1,515	3.06	3
	Poale Zion	902	1.82	1
	Borochov Workers	891	1.80	1
	Hashomer Hatzair	812	1.64	1
	Proletarian List	524	1.06	0
	Artisans Group	352	0.71	0
	Sephardic Poale Zion	28	0.06	0
	Sephardic Borochov Workers	1	0.00	0
	Middle Class Association	0	0.00	0
	Hitahdut HaIkarim	0	0.00	0
Total		49,475	100.00	71
Valid votes		49,475	98.09
Invalid/blank votes		961	1.91
Total votes		50,436	100.00
Registered voters/turnout		75,046	67.21
Source: UNISPAL

Aftermath

Following the elections, the Assembly elected the 23-member Jewish National Council, with eleven elected from Mapai, four from the Sephardim Bloc, three from Mizrachi, three from the General Zionists and two from smaller parties.^[1] The Revisionists refused to join the Council on the basis that the Assembly had refused to pass three resolutions it presented on not taking part in the Legislative Council, overturning the decision of the Jewish Agency to take part in a round table conference or to not send members to negotiate with the British government.^[1]

References