Israel’s Herzog accepts vote results, opens talks on forming a government
Summary
Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results of the October 27 parliamentary election and began consulting party leaders about who should form the next government. Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc nor opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc has a majority, while election officials said they found no evidence that fraud affected the result.Key Facts
- Netanyahu’s coalition won 53 seats and Eisenkot’s bloc won 48 in the 120-seat parliament; 61 seats are needed for a majority.
- Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List won 19 seats combined, a record for the parties.
- Ra’am said it would recommend Eisenkot, bringing his expected support to 56 lawmakers, according to Ynet.
- The Joint List had not announced its position; its 11 seats could give Eisenkot a majority if it supports him.
- A faction holding four seats within United Torah Judaism said it would recommend neither candidate, citing a dispute over military-service exemptions for Haredi men.
- Israel’s elections commission said it found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the election or affected its results.
- After consultations, Herzog will choose a candidate to try to form a government. The nominee will have 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension.
- If neither candidate forms a government, Israel could hold another election early next year.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
