President Herzog Urges Political Responsibility to Avoid New Elections
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba
President Isaac Herzog urged Israeli political parties to avoid repeat elections after a high voter turnout in the recent Knesset elections. He praised the democratic engagement and called for an "open mind" as government formation talks are set to begin. The President will officially receive the election results next week from the Central Elections Committee chairman. Preliminary results show the Likud as the largest party, with blocs forming around Netanyahu and Gantz.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- President Herzog called for all factions to avoid repeat elections after high voter turnout.
- He will begin official consultations for government formation next week.
- Preliminary results show Likud as the largest party with 26 seats.
- The Netanyahu bloc has 53 mandates, and the Gantz bloc has 48 mandates.
- The President will receive official results from the Elections Committee chairman next week.
President Isaac Herzog called on all political factions to demonstrate political responsibility and "do everything possible" to avoid a repeat election following the recent Knesset vote. Speaking at an event at the President's Residence, Herzog praised the "impressive" and "huge" voter turnout, calling it a "badge of honor for Israeli society" and a testament to the strength of democracy in Israel. He emphasized that after the election, it is crucial to avoid further elections and urged all parties to approach the upcoming government formation talks with an "open mind."
The President stated that he will officially receive the election results next week from Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee. Immediately after, he will commence the formal consultations with representatives of the factions at his residence. Herzog indicated that he would listen to each faction, ask questions, and hold discussions, acknowledging the complex political map that has emerged.
The President's appeal comes after the completion of the count for all regular ballots, totaling 4,875,751 votes. The preliminary results show the Likud party as the largest, with 26 seats, followed by the "Yesh!" list with 21 seats. The Joint List and the "Achdut" faction each secured 12 seats, the Democrats received 8 seats, and five parties, Israel Beiteinu, Ra'am, United Torah Judaism, Otzma Yehudit, and Shas, each garnered 7 seats. The Religious Zionism and Identity lists obtained 6 seats.
Based on these preliminary results, the Netanyahu bloc has 53 mandates, the Gantz bloc has 48 mandates, and the Arab parties hold 19 mandates. The final results, including double envelopes, are expected to be officially presented to the President next week.
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