Israeli President Isaac Herzog begins consultations to form a government / Netanyahu and Eisenkot, without a majority

Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, begins consultations with parliamentary parties on Wednesday afternoon to appoint the candidate who will attempt to form the next government, following the legislative elections held on October 27. Neither the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the alliance of his political rival, Gadi Eisenkot, secured the majority required in the Knesset.

Herzog will receive the leaders of the parties represented in parliament on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. local time, after receiving the official election results. Netanyahu’s camp has 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s has 48, with an absolute majority requiring 61 seats. Voter turnout was 77.7%, the highest level in the past 25 years.

The Israeli president wants to avoid holding new elections and supports the idea of a national unity government. The consultations are expected to conclude on Thursday, and the candidate for prime minister must be appointed by November 11.

The opposition bloc, made up of parties ranging from the left to the nationalist right, is divided over a possible alliance with Arab-Israeli parties, which won a combined 19 seats. Netanyahu has called for the formation of a coalition under his leadership, excluding the Arab parties, while Eisenkot accused him of attacking democracy.