On Wednesday, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin announced Benjamin Netanyahu as his choice for the leader of the country's next government following a deadlocked election last week.
"I have decided to give you, sir, the opportunity to assemble a government," Rivlin said to Netanyahu at the nomination ceremony.
Netanyahu later tweeted, "Tonight, I received the mandate to establish the government from the hands of President Reuven Rivlin. I thank him and you, the citizens of Israel. I will make every effort to establish the only government possible for Israel at this time— a broad national unity government."
The announcement came after Rivlin met with incumbent PM Netanyahu and his challenger Benny Gantz over the weekend. Rivlin had earlier encouraged both Gantz and Netanyahu to form a Unity government—a broad coalition government. However, talks for the same between the two major parties, Netanyahu's Likid and Gantz's Blue and White, seem to have failed.
Netanyahu will have to form a government within 28 days, failing which, Netanyahu can request a two-week extension—or Rivlin can pick another candidate. To form a government, Netanyahu will need to attain a majority of at least 61 seats in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.
This is Netanyahu’s second chance at winning a majority, after a failed attempt earlier this year as the April elections also ended in deadlock. If he pulls it off, it would become his fifth term as prime minister.
While Rivlin had held talks between Netanyahu and Gantz to form a Unity government, the latter refused on the grounds that he could not join a government with Likid in it as long as its leader faced indictment (Netanyahu has three pending corruption cases against him with a special hearing with the attorney general scheduled for October 2).
Neither Gantz nor Netanyahu have enough seats to form a government by themselves, with Blue and White having 33 seats and Likid having 32 (adding one more seat to their tally after the final round of counting). Netanyahu, however, received one more recommendation from lawmakers than Gantz, with 55 versus his opponent's 54.
Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the far-right Yisrael Beitenu party, will prove to be a kingmaker as he has yet to endorse either of the two parties so far, and can bring eight seats to a possible coalition government.
