What did Herzog announce?
On November 7, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he had chosen Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot to try to form a government. The president’s office scheduled the formal handover for November 8 at 5 p.m. local time. The handover gives Eisenkot the first chance to negotiate an arrangement that can win the confidence of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
What do the 67 recommendations mean?
Herzog’s office said factions representing 67 members of the Knesset recommended Eisenkot for the assignment. Factions representing 46 backed Benjamin Netanyahu, and a faction with seven seats named no candidate. These totals came from consultations about who should get the first attempt. A faction can make that recommendation before deciding whether it will join a coalition or support a proposed government from outside it.
When does the 28-day clock start?
Under Israel’s Basic Law on government formation, the first candidate has 28 days from the formal assignment. The president can grant extensions totaling up to 14 additional days. If the first attempt fails, the law allows the president to ask another willing member to try or tell the Knesset speaker that he sees no route to forming a government. A separate procedure then allows a majority of lawmakers to request an assignment for a willing candidate within the statutory window.
What actually puts a government in office?
Once a candidate has an agreement, the proposed government must present its policy guidelines, cabinet and division of ministerial jobs to the Knesset and ask for confidence. The government takes office once the Knesset gives that confidence. Watch for public commitments on the confidence vote as well as any coalition agreement. Parties can back a government in parliament without taking seats in its cabinet.