History Shows Mandate Doesn't Guarantee Government Formation

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, has been tasked by the President with forming a government. This officially begins a 28-day period, extendable by two weeks, for the candidate to establish a coalition. However, historical precedent indicates that receiving the mandate does not guarantee success, with several candidates failing to form a government or leading to repeated elections.

The process involves the President selecting a candidate based on their perceived ability to form a Knesset-approved government, often influenced by recommendations from party factions. The chosen candidate then has a limited time to present a viable government. For instance, Ehud Olmert was the last to successfully announce a government formation without an extension in 2006, doing so 25 days after receiving the mandate.

Several instances illustrate the challenges. In October 2019, Benjamin Netanyahu returned the mandate before the deadline, leading to Benny Gantz's unsuccessful attempt and a subsequent push for new elections. Netanyahu also failed to form a government in April 2019, though he engineered a Knesset dissolution beforehand. Earlier instances of mandates being returned, such as by Shimon Peres in 1990 and Tzipi Livni in 2008, were not directly following elections but stemmed from political maneuvering and party decisions.

More recently, the political instability since September 2019 has seen a pattern of initial mandate holders failing. Benny Gantz was given the first mandate in 2020 despite the Likud having more seats, but ultimately a unity government was formed after his failure. In 2021, Netanyahu received the mandate but could not form a government, leading to Yair Lapid's successful coalition. The most recent election in 2022 saw Benjamin Netanyahu, the first to receive the mandate, successfully form his sixth government after an extension, 38 days after initially being tasked.