Israel’s president begins consultations with parties after election deadlock
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has begun consultations with political parties on whom to task with forming a new coalition government, after he received the official results of a general election last week he said had no clear winner. Herzog told party leaders that “not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled” if they want to [...] The post Israel’s president begins consultations with…
After Israel's General Election on October 27, President Isaac Herzog has begun consultations with political parties to determine who will form a new coalition government. No single party secured a majority in the 120-seat Knesset, with Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc and his opponent Gadi Eisenkot failing to achieve the necessary parliamentary support.
Despite unsubstantiated claims of Arab-led parties "stealing" the election, the Central Elections Committee confirmed there were no irregularities in the results. Herzog has informed party leaders that "not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled" if they seek to avoid a new election. The United Arab List and the Joint List, two Arab-led alliances, secured an unprecedented 19 seats, making them potential kingmakers.
However, most Jewish parties pledged not to cooperate with them in forming a new government. The Israeli president's role is largely ceremonial, but after an election, they invite a Knesset member to form a government, who then has 28 days to do so (with a potential 14-day extension). Herzog expressed confidence in the Shin Bet's investigation into allegations of foreign interference in the election, but stressed that such investigations should not undermine the legitimacy of the results.
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