Nir Barkat
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Nir Barkat (Hebrew: ניר ברקת; born 1959) is an Israeli businessman, politician. He was elected mayor of Jerusalem on November 11, 2008.
Personal life
Nir Barkat was born in 1959 and raised in Jerusalem. He served in the Paratroopers Brigade of the Israel Defense Forces for six years (1977–83), as well as reserve duty, and reached the rank of Major.[1]
Career
Barkat started his career in the hi-tech industry by founding a software company called BRM in 1988, which specialized in antivirus software. He later helped found the investment company IVN.[1]
Barkat entered politics in January 2003 when he founded the party Yerushalayim Tatzli'ah ("Jerusalem Will Succeed") and ran in the Jerusalem mayoral race, gaining 43% of the vote and narrowly losing to Uri Lupoliansky. He therefore became the head of the opposition, a position he holds to this day.
Barkat ran again and won the election for mayor of Jerusalem on November 11, 2008. He is described as a secular politician[2]
References
- ^ a b "Nir Barkat". Retrieved 2008-11-11. Template:He icon
- ^ Secularist 'wins Jerusalem vote'
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