If all goes well, President Reuven Rivlin will on Sunday 2 Nissan and Monday 3 Nissan meet with representatives of all parties that were elected to enter the 20th Knesset. Parties will make their recommendation for the presidential mandate and then Mr. Rivlin will decide who will have the authority and responsibility to form the next coalition government.

The meetings began at 10:00 with the largest party, Likud. This will be followed by Labor/The Movement, the Arab bloc, and at 18:00, Bayit Yehudi followed by Shas and Yahadut Hatorah. On Monday the president will continue meeting with representatives of Yesh Atid, Kulanu, Yisrael Beitenu and Meretz.

As Mr. Rivlin began meeting with Likud representatives he told the media, “In democracy the majority rules, and the majority has expressed its will clearly in these elections. The role of the President after the elections is to serve the public faithfully, and to initiate the process of forming a coalition government in as swift and as transparent a way as possible.

“The bringing forward of these consultations is designed to realize both these goals. Against a background of security and social challenges which lie before us, and with the critical need to approve a budget – there is a need to act to swear in the new government as soon as possible. With the beginning of these consultations, I call on all the elected representatives to do all in their power to speed up the process and the coalition negotiations, in order to allow the system of governance to once again operate as necessary.

“We have been through a stormy and passionate election period – this is the time to begin a process of mending and healing in Israeli society. While the government which will be formed will have been elected by a majority of Israel’s citizens, it must provide an answer to the needs of all the citizens of Israel”.

It is expected that the mandate will be given to PM Netanyahu, who will have 28 days to assemble a coalition.

Basic Law: The Government stipulates that once a prime minister has been endorsed, he or she has 28 days to present his or her government, with the possibility of asking the president for an additional 14 days to that effect. If the extension elapses and no coalition is formed, the president may ask party leaders to endorse another MK as prime minister, who would be tasked with forming the government and afforded the same period of time. Should he or she fail as well, a general election is called again, until such time as a government is formed.

In the interest of time, Rivlin asked Central Election Committee Chairman Salim Jubran to permit him to meet with the factions before being officially presented with the election results. After the mandate is given, only then will coalition negotiations begin officially.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)