Israel Faces Complex Government Formation or New Elections After Vote

Translated & summarized from Panet by baba

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Following the completion of vote counting, neither of Israel's main political blocs secured a majority to form a government, potentially leading to new elections. President Yitzhak Herzog will begin consultations with party representatives to task someone with forming a government, a process that includes several deadlines and potential extensions. If all attempts fail, the Knesset will dissolve, triggering another election.

The story in 5 lines · by baba

Neither of Israel's two main political blocs secured the 61 seats required to form a government after vote counting concluded.
President Yitzhak Herzog will consult with parliamentary factions to recommend a candidate for prime minister.
The designated candidate has 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a government.
If government formation fails, a 21-day window allows 61 Knesset members to propose a candidate.
Failure to form a government will result in the automatic dissolution of the Knesset and new elections.

Israel Faces Complex Government Formation or New Elections After Vote — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Central Election Committee officials completed vote counting on Thursday, revealing a complex political landscape where neither of the two main blocs secured the 61 seats needed to form a government. Despite this, internal consultations have begun within the blocs aiming to forge an agreement and avoid new elections, according to the "Walla" website.

The official results are expected to be published in the official gazette within eight days, by Wednesday, November 4. The 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday, November 10, two weeks after election day.

Following the official results' submission, President Yitzhak Herzog will consult with representatives from all parliamentary factions to gather recommendations on who they deem most suitable to form a government. These consultations are anticipated to start on Wednesday and continue through Thursday and possibly Friday. By law, the President has seven days to decide and task a Knesset member with forming the government, with a deadline of November 11, though a decision could be made sooner.

The designated candidate will then have 28 days to form a government, with a possible 14-day extension. If the first candidate fails, the President can task another Knesset member for 28 days without an extension, or declare that government formation is impossible.

As a final option before new elections, if the President declares formation impossible, a 21-day period begins during which 61 Knesset members can jointly request the President to task a specific individual. That candidate would then have 14 days to form the government.

If all these avenues fail to result in a new government being sworn in, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, leading Israel to new elections. With no clear majority for either bloc, future political negotiations and inter-party agreements will be crucial in determining the Israeli government's future.