Yashar's Eisenkot to receive mandate to form new government, president announces

Should all attempts to form a government fail, the Knesset would be dissolved, and another election would be held.

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot will be granted the mandate to form a coalition, President Isaac Herzog announced on Saturday.

Herzog said the mandate will be officially granted on Sunday at the President's Residence in Jerusalem.

What happens next?

Under Basic Law: The Government, the candidate selected by Herzog will have 28 days to form a government, and the president may grant an extension of up to 14 additional days if necessary.

If the candidate fails to form a government within the allotted time, informs Herzog that the effort has failed, or presents a government that fails to win a confidence vote, the president must decide within three days whether to assign the task to another MK or inform the Knesset speaker that he sees no possibility of forming a government.

A second candidate would then have 28 days to establish a coalition, without the possibility of an extension.

If the second attempt also fails, or Herzog decides not to appoint another candidate, a 21-day period begins during which at least 61 MKs can jointly request that the president assign the task to a particular lawmaker. That candidate would have 14 days to form a government.

Should all attempts fail, the Knesset would be dissolved, and another election would be held. Until a new government wins the Knesset's confidence and takes office, the outgoing government remains in place in a caretaker capacity.