This Sunday, Netanyahu to receive mandate to form a coalition
The former and likely incoming prime minister is expected to coalesce a solid majority bloc ending the 3-year cycle of inconclusive elections
Benjamin Netanyahu will be given the mandate to form a government on Sunday, making him the likely next prime minister of Israel.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog made the announcement on Friday following consultations this week with all parties elected to the 25th Knesset.
"In sum, 64 members of Knesset recommended to the president that he assign the task of forming a government to Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu," according to a read out from the president's office.
The remainder of the 120 Knesset members were split down the middle: 28 recommended Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid while another 28 members of Knesset abstained from making any recommendation.
Netanyahu will have 28 days to form a new government with the possibility of a 14-day extension.
He may not need that much time, however. His own party, Likud, will contribute 32 seats while Religious Zionism, Shas and United Torah Judaism are expected to round out the rest to make 64 total – a solid majority after three and a half years of inconclusive elections.
This Netanyahu government is expected to end the loop of voting and could last a full term. Netanyahu already holds the distinction of being the longest serving prime minister – 12 years over different terms – and having served in 12 of 25 Israeli governments since the nation's founding.
The official ceremony will take place at noon on Sunday at the President's Residence where Herzog will hand Netanyahu a writ of appointment.
Yesh Atid and Labor recommended Lapid to form a government while several parties abstained from making a recommendation, including National Unity, Yisrael Beytenu, Ra'am and Hadash-Ta'al.
Nicole Jansezian was the news editor and senior correspondent for ALL ISRAEL NEWS.
