Israeli president picks Netanyahu's rival Eisenkot to form new government

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has selected Gadi Eisenkot, the leader of the Yashar party and a former IDF chief of staff, to attempt to form a new government following the October 27 elections. The election resulted in no single party or coalition receiving enough seats in the 120-member Knesset to achieve a governing majority.

According to Hindustan Times - World News, Eisenkot is scheduled to formally receive the mandate at the President’s Residence at 5 p.m. on Sunday. He will have 28 days to build a government, with a possible 14-day extension.

The task of assembling a coalition is complicated by the election results. Hindustan Times - World News reports that Eisenkot’s opposition bloc won 48 seats while Netanyahu’s camp secured 53, and a government requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers. KahawaTungu reports that Eisenkot secured the support of 67 members of the incoming Knesset, including 19 from two Arab parties, whereas Netanyahu received 46 recommendations.

KahawaTungu also notes that United Torah Judaism, a traditional ally of Netanyahu, declined to recommend him during the president's consultations.

Eisenkot, 66, is attempting to replace Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister. While Netanyahu’s Likud remained the largest single party, The Indian Express reports his wider religious-nationalist coalition fell short of the numbers needed to govern. Eisenkot is reportedly pushing to form a "national emergency government" and aims to swear in a minority government as soon as possible, according to KahawaTungu.

Brief written by urgent.news from The Hill, Hindustan Times - World News, KahawaTungu, The Indian Express, Al-Monitor — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.