Israel Faces Government Formation Challenge After Election Results

Following the completion of vote counting in Israel, the complex process of forming a government has begun, with no single bloc securing the necessary 61-seat majority. Consultations within the political blocs commenced on Thursday, October 29, aiming to assemble a coalition and avert another election. The first official step involves the Central Election Commission publishing the results, a process with an eight-day deadline, set for Wednesday, November 4. After the official tally is delivered to President Yitzhak Herzog, he will initiate meetings with representatives from all factions to gather recommendations on who should be tasked with forming the government. These consultations are expected to take place from November 4 to November 6. Legally, the designated individual has seven days to present a government to the president, with a potential extension of up to 14 days, by November 11. However, the president can make a decision sooner. The new 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday, November 10, two weeks after the election, meaning government formation efforts will be underway before the Knesset's first session. Typically, the president assigns the task to the candidate believed to have the best chance of forming a coalition, usually the one supported by the most Knesset members during consultations. If the first attempt fails, President Herzog can task another lawmaker, potentially from the opposing bloc, with forming a government for a non-extendable 28-day period. Alternatively, if the president deems government formation impossible, a 21-day period will commence, during which at least 61 Knesset members can petition the president to assign the mandate to a specific member, who will then have 14 days to form a government. Should all these procedures fail to result in a sworn-in government, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, triggering new elections.