From the Liveblog of
Thursday, November 21, 2019
For 1st time ever, president hands the Knesset the mandate to form coalition
President Reuven Rivlin hands Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein the formal notice that Benny Gantz’s mandate to form a government is over, after the Blue and White party leader yesterday conceded failing to do so.
For the first time in Israel’s history, the mandate to form a governing coalition is now in the hands of the Knesset. If 61 lawmakers sign their support for a fellow MK to form a government over the next 21 days, that person will be tasked with doing so. If not, the country goes to the polls once again.
“This sad political outcome came after a second election cycle that was forced upon Israeli citizens when the 21st Knesset voted to dissolve itself,” Rivlin tells Edelstein. “This is a time of unprecedented darkness in the history of the State of Israel.”
