TEL AVIV, November 8. /TASS/. Israeli President Isaac Herzog has officially awarded the mandate to form the next government to Yashar opposition party leader Gadi Eisenkot following the October 27 parliamentary elections.
"I am handing over the mandate to form a government to you and wish you every success," Herzog told Eisenkot in a ceremony that was broadcast by the office of the Israeli head of state.
"Israel needs a stable government that will be able to work for a long time," the president said and called the political forces represented in parliament to get consolidated. "IT’s time to do everything possible for the sake of unity," he stressed.
Eisenkot, for his part, stated that he "hopes to complete the process of forming a government as soon as possible." "We will all have to make compromises. I am glad that my partners understand the importance of this moment and fully support me," he added.
Under Israel’s laws, after receiving the mandate, Eisenkot will have 28 days to secure the support of a majority of the members of the 120-seat Knesset (parliament) and form a ruling coalition. If he fails to do so within this time limit, this period may be extended by 14 days more.
If the candidate fails, the president will task another lawmaker with forming a government. The second candidate will have two weeks to do so, with no possibility of an extension. If no government can be formed with the support of at least 61 members of parliament, a new election will be called within 90 days. Incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue serving until a new government takes office.
The presidential press service pointed out that the decision to ask Eisenkot to form a new government had been made following consultations with delegations from all parties that won seats in parliament in the recent elections.
Israel held its parliamentary elections on October 27. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party came first, winning 27 seats in parliament. His main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar opposition party, was in second place with 21 seats. Likud and its allies secured 53 seats, while opposition parties won a total of 48. Arab parties took 19 seats. However, no political bloc currently has the 61 seats needed to form a governing majority.