Israel's president to announce Sunday who will be tasked with forming government - Anadolu Ajansı

Israel’s president said he will announce on Sunday which lawmaker will be tasked with forming the next government, following consultations with political parties after last month’s elections.

In a Thursday video message reported by Israeli news outlet Ynet, Isaac Herzog said parties representing 67 members of the 120-seat Knesset recommended Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, while parties holding 46 seats backed current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the Likud party.

“The results of the consultations may appear clear,” Herzog said, but added that the ability to form a government remains uncertain due to mutual objections between and within political blocs.

He said he would hold further individual talks with party leaders to assess their prospects of forming a coalition.

Herzog stressed that he would make every effort to facilitate the formation of a stable government.

Israel held parliamentary elections on Oct. 27, with neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the opposition securing an outright majority.

Under Israeli law, the president assigns a lawmaker the task of forming a government after consulting parliamentary factions, taking into account their ability to secure the support of a majority in the Knesset.