'Israeli' President tasks Eisenkot with forming next government
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- 'Israeli' President Isaac Herzog has formally tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the next government.
- Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a governing coalition, with a possible 14-day extension.
- He received recommendations from 67 lawmakers, compared with 46 who backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
'Israeli' President Isaac Herzog has formally tasked opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming the country's next government, following last month's inconclusive parliamentary elections.
Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, now has 28 days to negotiate with political parties and assemble a governing coalition, with the possibility of a 14-day extension if he needs additional time.
Eisenkot secured recommendations from 67 of the 120 members of the Knesset, while 46 lawmakers backed Netanyahu during consultations with the president.
Despite securing the largest number of recommendations, Eisenkot faces a difficult path to forming a government, as his opposition bloc does not hold the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.
His potential coalition also faces disagreements over cooperation with Arab-led parties, as well as negotiations with ultra-Orthodox factions.
Netanyahu's Likud-led bloc holds 53 seats, while four opposition parties aligned with Eisenkot hold 48. Arab-led parties secured 19 seats in the October 27 elections.
If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the allotted period, further political negotiations or another election could follow. Netanyahu remains in office as caretaker prime minister until a new government is established.
