Israeli President Isaac Herzog begins consultations with political parties on Wednesday to nominate who will form the next government after the 27 October election. Turnout reached 77.7% — the highest in 25 years.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp won 53 of the Knesset’s 120 seats; Gadi Eisenkot’s camp took 48. Neither bloc can govern alone. Herzog has until 11 November to designate a prime-ministerial candidate and is pushing for talks on a national-unity government bridging the two camps.

On Tuesday, the five leaders of Eisenkot’s centrist-led “change bloc” coordinated strategy, saying voters clearly chose change and calling for a “national emergency government” to replace Netanyahu.

The opposition spans left to nationalist right and is split especially over any alliance with Arab-Israeli parties, which won an unprecedented 19 seats — enough, on paper, for the opposition to clear the absolute majority of 61.

Netanyahu said he is “open to dialogue” and appealed for a coalition under his leadership, while ruling out Arab parties. Eisenkot accused Netanyahu and Likud of a “pogrom against democracy” after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara questioned the impartiality of an intelligence probe into alleged electoral fraud involving Arab parties.

The coming days of presidential talks will show whether Herzog can force a compromise between the blocs or whether Israel heads toward a narrow, contested coalition.

Source: Israel: President begins consultations with parties to form a new government (Radio Romania)