Israel's Path to Government Formation or New Elections Explained

Following the completion of vote counting by the Central Elections Committee on Thursday, Israel faces a complex political landscape with no single bloc securing the 61 seats needed for a majority. Despite this, consultations have already begun within the blocs, aiming to form a government and avoid repeat elections. The process begins with the official publication of results by the committee, due by November 4th. The 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10th. The President will then commence consultations with faction representatives to determine who has the best chance of forming a government, likely based on the number of recommendations received. These consultations are expected to start on Wednesday and may extend through Friday. The President has seven days, until November 11th, to assign the task of government formation to a Knesset member. The chosen candidate then has 28 days to present a government, with a possible 14-day extension. If this candidate fails, the President can either assign the task to another Knesset member for another 28 days without extension, or declare that government formation is impossible. In the latter scenario, a 21-day period begins where 61 Knesset members can petition the President to assign the task to one of them, who would then have 14 days to form a government. If no government is formed through any of these stages, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, leading to new elections.