HERZOG OFFICIALLY TASKS EISENKOT WITH FORMING GOVERNMENT

TEL AVIV, NOVEMBER 8 /SRNA/ - Israeli President Isaac Herzog has officially tasked United Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government.

Eisenkot emerged as the main challenger to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the recent parliamentary elections.

The Israeli President's Office said that any government formed must work towards unity, bringing people closer together and reconciliation among all segments of the population, as this was of vital importance.

"We have only one state. I am ready to help you achieve this goal at any time. Dear Gadi Eisenkot, I hereby entrust you with the task of forming a government, and it is therefore my honour to present you with the official mandate to form the Government of Israel," the President's Press Office said in a statement.

The October 27 elections to Israel's 120-seat parliament, the Knesset, produced no clear winner, as neither political bloc secured the 61 seats required to form a government.

The ruling coalition led by Netanyahu's party won 53 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot secured 48.

Under the established procedure, following the elections, the country's president held consultations with all factions that had passed the electoral threshold for entry into the Knesset in order to select the candidate considered most likely to form a coalition commanding a majority in parliament.

Following the consultations, parties that collectively won 67 seats in the elections recommended that Herzog task Eisenkot with forming a government.

Under parliamentary procedure, the candidate appointed by the president has 42 days to form a government. If unsuccessful, the mandate passes to another candidate, who has 28 days to do so.

If the second attempt also fails, any member of the Knesset may try to assemble a coalition of 61 lawmakers within 21 days. If this attempt also proves unsuccessful, parliament is dissolved, and new elections are called, RIA Novosti reported.