Israel president to open talks on government formation

Tasking someone means President Isaac Herzog formally chooses a politician to try to assemble a government. The president does not become prime minister or govern directly. Instead, he decides who gets the first opportunity after consulting the parties. This matters because no leader currently commands a parliamentary majority.

The chosen politician must persuade enough parties to support a government in the 120-seat Knesset. A successful coalition needs at least 61 seats. If the first attempt fails, Herzog can give the mandate to another politician. He can also hold more consultations before making or changing his decision.

Herzog began two days of consultations after receiving the 27 October election results. He said he wanted to exhaust every option, broaden dialogue and avoid another election. The process could last weeks or months, and it could still end with the Knesset unable to produce a government.

The 61-seat threshold represents a majority in Israel’s 120-member Knesset. A government needs that level of support to pass legislation, approve decisions and survive parliamentary challenges. It is the basic test of whether a candidate has enough backing to govern rather than merely lead the largest bloc.

Neither Benjamin Netanyahu nor Gadi Eisenkot reaches 61 seats alone. Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s has 48. Each therefore needs agreements with additional parties. Eisenkot could potentially reach the threshold by working with Arab-majority parties, whose combined representation rose to 19 seats.

The figures show why coalition bargaining is central to this election. The largest bloc still falls eight seats short. The smaller bloc is even further away, so it needs broader support and faces political resistance from some opposition figures. If no coalition reaches 61, the formation process can fail and trigger another election.

Benjamin Netanyahu is backed by a right-wing bloc centred on his Likud party. It holds 53 seats, giving it the largest bloc in the new parliament. Netanyahu has called for a broad national government, but he wants one that excludes Arab lists and places him at the top.

Gadi Eisenkot leads Yashar, described as a broad centre to centre-right opposition party. His bloc has 48 seats. Eisenkot is a former military chief, and opposition leaders have promised to move quickly to form a government and remove Netanyahu, although they have not explained how they can reach a majority.

The balance remains unsettled. Arab-majority parties hold 19 seats after a surge linked to anger at Netanyahu’s hard-right government. Those seats could change the arithmetic in Eisenkot’s favour, but some opposition politicians oppose relying on them. Herzog’s consultations will test whether either side can build a workable coalition.

Eisenkot’s bloc has 48 seats, so it needs at least 13 more to reach the 61-seat majority. Arab-majority parties hold 19 seats, meaning their support could provide enough votes to form a government. Their increased representation followed outrage against Netanyahu’s hard-right government.

The mechanism would be parliamentary cooperation. Arab-majority parties could join a coalition, support it from outside or provide votes on key decisions. The source does not specify which arrangement would be used. It does show that Eisenkot cannot reach the threshold through his bloc alone and that Arab parties could supply the missing numbers.

The idea is politically divisive. Some opposition politicians have balked at relying on non-Jewish politicians’ votes. Netanyahu has repeatedly warned Jewish Israelis that the opposition would work with Arab parties, while accusing them of backing Hamas. Arab-Israeli leaders have rejected those accusations and condemned Hamas’s 7 October attack.

The first person chosen by Herzog receives 28 days to form a government. Herzog may grant a further 14 days, creating more time for coalition negotiations. This deadline forces the candidate to secure agreements rather than leaving the process open indefinitely.

If the first attempt fails, Herzog gives the mandate to another politician. The article does not name a fixed second choice. Herzog can also hold additional consultations, and his office said he wanted to hear all views before deciding. These steps give parties more than one route to break the deadlock.

If the second attempt also fails, a majority of politicians can come together to nominate someone within 21 days. That person would then have a chance to form a government. If nobody succeeds through these stages, Israel moves toward new elections. The process can therefore extend for weeks or months.

New elections are the final consequence of failing to form a government. After the first candidate fails, Herzog can appoint another. If that attempt also fails, a majority of politicians has 21 days to nominate someone. If no nominee succeeds, the parliamentary deadlock cannot be resolved under the stated process.

That outcome would mean voters return to the polls rather than seeing a new governing coalition take office. The article does not give a date or describe the campaign arrangements for another election. It does show that elections are not a remote possibility, because Israel has repeatedly faced similar impasses.

Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 after deadlocks. The previous formation process took Netanyahu 58 days after the November 2022 election. The current contest is also fragmented: Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats and Eisenkot’s has 48, leaving both short of 61.

In a proportional-election system, parliamentary seats are distributed among parties in line with their share of the vote. This usually creates several significant parties instead of guaranteeing one party more than half the seats. Israel’s Knesset has 120 members, so one party or bloc needs 61 seats to govern alone or lead a majority coalition.

The current figures show the mechanism clearly. Netanyahu’s bloc has 53 seats, while Eisenkot’s has 48. Neither reaches 61, so both must seek agreements with other parties. Eisenkot could look to Arab-majority parties, which hold 19 seats. Netanyahu has instead called for a broad coalition without Arab lists.

Coalition talks can broaden representation, but they can also produce deadlock when parties disagree over partners or policy. Israel has held five elections between 2019 and 2022 after deadlocks. In the current process, negotiations will determine whether parties can combine their seats or whether voters must return to the polls.