Parties to meet Rivlin and recommend a prime minister — a full timetable

Overshadowed by the coronavirus crisis, Knesset party representatives will arrive throughout the day at President Reuven Rivlin’s official residence to say whom they recommend for prime minister following the March 2 elections.

Representatives for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party will arrive at 10:30 a.m.

The rival Blue and White party will arrive at 11:15 a.m. to recommend its leader, Benny Gantz, followed by, at 12 p.m., the Joint List alliance of Arab and Arab-majority parties, parts of which could recommend Gantz.

Immediately afterwards — no time has been given — the president will meet representatives of the Shas ultra-Orthodox party.

After a break, the second Haredi party, United Torah Judaism, will arrive at 5:45 p.m. followed by Labor-Gesher-Meretz at 6:30, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu at 7:15 and Yamina at 8.

Netanyahu is expected to get the backing of 58 Knesset members in his right-wing religious bloc, three short of the necessary majority of 61 in the 120-member parliament.

But he is likely to be the first tasked to form a government since Gantz is reportedly guaranteed to get the backing of only 46 MKs, with most of the rest possibly recommending him and possibly recommending nobody.

Gesher leader Orly Levi-Abekasis has reportedly requested that she be allowed to submit a recommendation independently from her Labor-Gesher-Meretz party, and it isn’t known yet how many of the Joint List lawmakers will support recommending Gantz.