Full coverage· Politics· Updated 19:54

Herzog Urges Parties to Avoid New Elections Amid Coalition Stalemate

Following the elections for the 26th Knesset, President Isaac Herzog urged political leaders to prevent another round of elections and to approach the upcoming coalition talks with an open mind. Speaking on Wednesday, Herzog praised the high voter turnout, calling it a badge of honor for Israeli society and a strong demonstration of the desire for democracy in Israel.

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Herzog Urges Parties to Avoid New Elections Amid Coalition Stalemate — Illustration by baba

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What happened

01President Isaac Herzog urged political leaders to prevent further elections and approach coalition talks with an open mind.
02The President praised the high voter turnout in the 26th Knesset elections as a badge of honor for Israeli society.
03Preliminary results show Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats, the opposition change bloc with 47, and Arab parties with 19.
04Likud is the largest single party with 26 mandates, followed by Yesh Atid with 21 mandates.
05President Herzog will officially receive the final election results next week from Judge Noam Sohlberg.
06Consultations with all elected Knesset factions will begin at the President's Residence next week after the results are received.
07The outgoing government will remain in place until a successor is formed, even if new elections are required.

Preliminary results, after the counting of 85% of regular ballots, indicate that neither major political bloc has secured a clear majority of 61 seats. The bloc supporting Benjamin Netanyahu holds 53 seats, the change bloc has 47 seats, and Arab parties hold 19 seats. Likud is the largest single party with 26 mandates, followed by Yesh Atid with 21.

Herzog announced that he will officially receive the final election results next week from the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg. Following this, the President will begin consultations with representatives of all elected factions at the President's Residence to hear their positions before tasking a candidate with forming the next government. If a new government is not formed and further elections are required, the outgoing government led by Benjamin Netanyahu will remain in place.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 9 newsrooms. Updated 20:02