President Yitzchak Herzog announced Thursday evening that he will name the candidate to form Israel's next government this coming Sunday, following consultations with all factions elected to the 26th Knesset. In a statement delivered at the President's Residence, Herzog presented the recommendation tallies for the two candidates but made clear that mutual vetoes between parties leave it uncertain who can actually assemble a coalition.
According to the figures Herzog presented, 67 MKs recommended Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party, while 46 MKs recommended Prime Minister and Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu.
Despite the gap in recommendations, Herzog said he intends to examine the candidates' actual ability to form a government, not simply rely on the consultation results.
"The results of the consultations appear clear on their face, but the authority granted to me by law is to determine the ability to form a government, and that is not entirely clear in light of mutual vetoes between the blocs and within the blocs themselves. I will attempt to clarify this ability directly and quickly with some of the party leaders, in personal conversations," the president said.
Herzog also addressed the conversations he held with faction representatives during the consultation round, noting that he sought to explore additional options for establishing a government.
"I wish to update the Israeli public at the conclusion of the consultation round. I met with representatives of all the factions. The conversations were open, honest and also pointed. I asked difficult questions in an attempt to get the sides, and also the public, to break free from mental rigidity and open their minds to additional directions," he said.
In his remarks, the president addressed the difficulty that may arise in forming a government despite the high number of recommendations Eisenkot received. According to him, the mutual vetoes exist not only between the political blocs but also within the blocs themselves.
Later in his statement, Herzog announced the expected timeline for the continuation of the process. "I intend to assign the mandate to form a government this coming Sunday," he said.
