President Herzog to determine candidate to form Israel’s government — Dawn

In Israel, President Isaac Herzog will hold consultations with party representatives after the final results of the parliamentary elections are announced and determine the candidate he will task with forming a coalition government. According to partial voting results, neither the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor the bloc of his rival Gadi Eisenkot is winning a majority in parliament.

As Dawn reports, the president may entrust the formation of a government not necessarily to a representative of the party that wins the most seats, but to the candidate with the best chances of assembling a coalition. Although the office of Israel’s president is largely ceremonial, the law gives the head of state broad discretion in this decision and does not set specific selection criteria.

Consultations after the results

Herzog said during the vote count that he would receive the official results next week, after which he would begin consultations. He stressed that political forces must make efforts to avoid another election.

“One thing must be clear: we must do everything possible, especially after yesterday, to avoid another round of elections,” he said. Herzog also urged party representatives to come to the consultations “with an open mind.”

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Pressure and a possible unity government

On the eve of the vote, Herzog acknowledged that he would face significant pressure, but said he would not allow outside influence, including from US President Donald Trump, to determine his decision. In an interview with US media outlet MS Now, he said that the US president or other individuals could not interfere with his discretionary powers.

Herzog said he would do everything possible to avoid new elections if neither camp could form a coalition. Among the options, he named support for a national unity government involving Netanyahu and Eisenkot.

The 66-year-old Herzog has served as president since 2021. Previously, he was a member of parliament, headed the ministries of housing, tourism and social welfare, and led the center-left Labour Party.