Israel President Appoints Opposition Leader Gadi Eisenkot to Form Government
President Isaac Herzog has named Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, as his preferred candidate to lead a new Israeli government.
At a glance
- President Isaac Herzog has tapped Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, to form the next Israeli government.
- Netanyahu's Likud party won 27 seats but failed to secure a parliamentary majority in the recent election.
- Eisenkot has 28 days to build a coalition, with a possible 14-day extension, to reach 61 seats needed for a majority.
President Isaac Herzog has named Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, as his preferred candidate to lead a new Israeli government. The move comes after Netanyahu's Likud party won 27 seats in last month's election, six more than Eisenkot's Yashar party. However, neither party secured enough support to command a parliamentary majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament. President Herzog will formally give Eisenkot the mandate at 5 p.m. local time on Sunday. Eisenkot, a former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces who served as top military commander from 2015 to 2019, leads the centrist Yashar party founded on an anti-corruption and government reform platform. He will have 28 days to put together a coalition government, with a possible 14-day extension. This gives him up to six weeks to negotiate with rival parties and secure the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. Eisenkot has already lost his son Gal, a reservist killed in Gaza, as well as two nephews during the war. If Eisenkot fails, Herzog can give another lawmaker a chance to form a government. If those efforts also fail, Israel could face another election. Netanyahu would remain caretaker prime minister in the meantime, while the new government formation process unfolds.
Source: NPR News
Questions and answers
- Who was appointed to lead the new Israeli government?
- President Isaac Herzog appointed Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, as the preferred candidate.
- How many seats does Eisenkot's party have?
- Yashar party won 28 seats in the November election, one more than Netanyahu's Likud party.
