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Israel Faces Complex Government Formation Amidst Hung Parliament

Following the completion of vote counting, Israel's recent elections have resulted in a hung parliament with no political bloc securing the 61-seat majority required to form a government. Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, Gadi Eisenkot's bloc secured 48 seats, and Arab parties hold 19 seats. The Central Elections Committee is scheduled to officially certify and publish the final results by Wednesday, November 4, 2026, and the newly elected 26th Knesset is set to be sworn in on Tuesday, November 10, 2026.

3 newsrooms · 3 languages · since 28 Oct, 21:47

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What happened

01No political bloc secured the 61-seat majority in the recent Knesset elections, leaving Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot's bloc with 48.
02Arab parties secured 19 seats in the election, further complicating the coalition-building process for both major blocs.
03The Central Elections Committee is scheduled to officially certify and publish the final election results by Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
04President Isaac Herzog will consult with faction representatives between November 4 and November 6 to determine who will receive the mandate.
05The newly elected 26th Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, while coalition negotiations are already underway.
06The chosen candidate will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, to form a coalition and present it to the Knesset.
07If the initial candidate fails, a second candidate can be given 28 days, followed by a final 21-day period for any Knesset member to try.
08Failure to form a government after all legal avenues are exhausted will result in the automatic dissolution of the Knesset and new elections within 90 days.

President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations with representatives of the parliamentary factions to determine which Knesset member has the best chance of assembling a coalition. These consultations are expected to start on Wednesday, November 4, and could run through Friday. President Herzog must assign the mandate to form a government within seven days of the official results, by November 11, though he may do so earlier. The law does not obligate the president to choose the leader of the largest party, but rather the candidate most likely to win the confidence of the Knesset based on party recommendations.

The designated candidate will have 28 days to negotiate coalition agreements and present a government, with a possible 14-day extension. If this candidate fails, the president can assign the mandate to another Knesset member for 28 days without extension, or declare that forming a government is impossible. In the latter case, a final 21-day window opens for Knesset members to propose any candidate. If all legal avenues are exhausted without a government being formed, the Knesset will automatically dissolve, triggering new elections within 90 days.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 21:06

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