President Yitzchak Herzog announced Thursday, at the conclusion of consultations with factions elected to the 26th Knesset, that he intends to assign the mandate to form a government tomorrow (Sunday). According to the recommendation tally he presented, Eisenkot is set to receive the mandate.
"I wish to update the Israeli public at the conclusion of the consultations. I met with representatives of all the factions," Herzog said in a statement to the press at the President's Residence.
"The picture is as follows: representatives of factions numbering 67 Knesset members recommended the chairman of the Yashar! party, Gadi Eisenkot, and representatives of factions numbering 46 Knesset members recommended Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu," he said.
Eisenkot finished the consultations with a 21-seat lead over Netanyahu, with the factions that recommended him together constituting more than half the Knesset.
