Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu MORE was tapped Tuesday to try to put together a ruling coalition as lawmakers seek a way to avoid an unprecedented fifth election within two years.
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who mostly serves as an archery president, said he believed Netanyahu had the best chance of forming a coalition that would hold a majority in the country’s parliament.
Netanyahu’s Likud party won 30 seats in the most recent election, which along with its right-wing and ultra-Orthodox partners won 52 seats. That means the prime minister is overseeing the bloc that won the most seats earlier last month, although he still lacks the 61 seats needed to form a 120-seat majority in the Knesset.
‘I came to a decision based on the number of recommendations, which suggests that MK Benjamin Netanyahu has a slightly better chance of forming a government. Consequently, I decided to entrust him with the task, ”Rivlin said in his announcement.
‘In my opinion, this is not an easy decision on a moral and ethical basis …[T]the state of Israel is not self-evident. And I fear for my country, “he added. “But I do according to the law and the judgment of the court required of me as president of the state of Israel, and I realize the will of the sovereign – the people of Israel.”
I came to a decision based on the number of recommendations, which suggests that MK Benjamin Netanyahu has a slightly greater chance of forming a government. Consequently, I decided to entrust him with the task.
– Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) 6 April 2021
Rivlin’s decision gives Netanyahu 28 days to try to form a coalition that will get the necessary seats to hold a Knesset majority, with the possibility that his efforts could be extended by 14 days. Should Netanyahu fail, Rivlin could tap another person to try to form a government.
Rivlin’s move to exploit Netanyahu comes a day after the president met with representatives of all 13 parties who had won seats for the Knesset to get their recommendations on who should form a coalition.
The March election was the fourth quick election to take place in two years after repeated attempts to win a 61-seat coalition, an unprecedented pace that underscored political divisions across the country.
Netanyahu promised to form a ‘full right-wing government’, although he struggled to gain unanimous support from the myriad small right-wing parties that won seats. He will also have to run the ropes to persuade another hard-right party to come to his side in a coalition that includes a small Arab, Islamic party.
The 90 seats that Likud did not win are divided among different parties, with the centrist Yesh Atid party winning the second most seats in March at 17. However, Netanyahu’s more centrist and liberal opponents remained too broken to form a coalition to rival Likud’s.
“The president has fulfilled his duty and he has no choice,” said Yair Lapid, leader of Yesh Atid. said just after Rivlin’s announcement. “But giving Netanyahu the mandate is a shameful disgrace that is polluting Israel and violating our status as a law-abiding state.”
The coming weeks will be crucial for Netanyahu, as he also wants to fight corruption charges against him. To stay in power, Netanyahu can help defeat allegations of fraud, breach of trust and the acceptance of bribes in three separate cases.
Netanyahu has denied guilt on all charges, saying the case against him is a “witch hunt”.