When will Israel's new gov't be formed? When will the new Knesset be sworn in? Here's the timeline
Millions of Israelis cast their ballots to vote for the next Knesset this past Tuesday. While the results are already relatively clear and preliminary final results are expected on Friday, the actual formation of a government could take several more months, if it happens at all.
The results after the counting of most regular ballots were clear by Wednesday and indicate that no bloc of parties has a clear path to establish a government with the necessary 61-seat majority.
The bloc, led by current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, will receive 53 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party will receive 48. The rest will be made up of the two Arab parties, which received a record combined total of 19 seats.
The tentative final results will be announced after the count of the double envelopes, which is expected to be completed by late Thursday.
The next step is for President Isaac Herzog to assign the task of forming a coalition to the leader he believes has the best chance of doing so. This has usually been the leader of the largest party, though the decision is entirely at the president’s discretion.
Beginning Friday, the Herzog will consult with party leaders to listen to their thoughts about possible coalitions, on which basis he will decide who to task first with establishing a coalition.
The verified and official election results, including the allocation of 120 Knesset seats, will be published next Wednesday, Nov. 4.
This will trigger a 7-day deadline – Nov. 11 – for Herzog to announce who will have the first go at trying to cobble together a majority.
While that process continues, the new lawmakers will be sworn in.
The 26th Knesset of the State of Israel will be convened for its oath of allegiance on Nov. 10. Once sworn in, the new parliament can form a temporary organizing committee and several other temporary committees, theoretically allowing it to begin functioning and even pass some legislation.
The current government will continue to serve as a caretaker government until a new coalition is formed.
Crucially, in these unusually contested elections, appeals concerning the election results will be heard in court on Nov. 18.
Once the first party leader receives the task of forming a government from the president, he has 28 days to do so, with the possibility of several extensions totaling up to 14 additional days.
This means the leader who gets the first opportunity will likely have until Dec. 23 to form a government.
If the first candidate fails, Herzog can nominate a second candidate within three days. This candidate will then have 28 days to form a coalition, with no extension granted.
If the second candidate also fails, a 21-day period will begin during which any lawmaker can seek support from at least 61 Knesset members by submitting a written request to the president. If successful, that lawmaker will be granted the mandate to form the coalition and will have 14 additional days to finalize an agreement.
If no coalition is formed at the end of that period, new elections must be held within 90 days.
If a viable coalition is formed, the candidate will inform the president and the Knesset speaker using the traditional phrase “Ala be-yadi” or “I have succeeded.”
The Knesset speaker will schedule a session to formally establish the government, during which its guiding principles, composition, and ministerial portfolio allocations will be presented.
Only after the Knesset approves the new government in a vote of confidence can the prime minister and ministers take office and officially begin serving in their roles.
This article was originally published at All Israel News
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