Israeli President Isaac Herzog Hands Mandate To Benjamin Netanyahu To Form New Government

Netanyahu will become Israel's prime minister for a record-breaking sixth time.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog & Benjamin Netanyahu.

Following several election campaigns and the conclusion of the consultations on Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu has been given the mandate and given the duty of forming the new government in Israel, news agency ANI reported.

Netanyahu will become Israel's prime minister for a record-breaking sixth time.

Taking to Twitter, Netanyahu announced: "After a series of election campaigns, the people decided clearly in favour of establishing a government headed by me."

Netanyahu thanked all of the Knesset members who had supported his candidacy and predicted that the new administration will be prosperous and stable, working for the good of all citizens.

"I would like to thank all 64 members of the Knesset who recommended me. We will do everything so that, with God's help, it will be a stable and successful government, a responsible and dedicated government, which will work for the benefit of all the residents of the country without exception," he wrote on Twitter.

אחרי שורה של מערכות בחירות, העם הכריע בצורה ברורה בעד הקמת ממשלה בראשותי.

אני מבקש להודות לכל 64 חברי וחברות הכנסת שהמליצו עליי. נעשה הכל כדי שזו תהיה בעזרת השם ממשלה יציבה ומוצלחת, ממשלה אחראית ומסורה, שתפעל לטובת כל תושבי המדינה בלי יוצא מן הכלל.

(צילום: קובי גדעון, לע״מ) pic.twitter.com/bD7wnvln8E

— Benjamin Netanyahu - בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) November 13, 2022

Notably, the declaration was made on Friday after a meeting with representatives from each parliamentary group by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.

Benjamin Netanyahu will have 28 days to create a new government as President Herzog has given him the authority to assume the reins, with the potential for a 14-day extension if necessary in accordance with Israeli legislation, according to CNN.

According to the Times of Israel, the pro-Netanyahu group received 64 seats in the Knesset as the final results revealed that Netanyahu, 73, had won the national election.

In a historic fifth election since 2019, Israelis rushed to the polls because the political system has been paralysed for almost four years. 120 people make up the parliament.

The Central Elections Committee reported that 12,495 ballots with a total vote of over 6.7 million eligible voters were cast. A total of 18,000 police officers were stationed around the nation to control traffic and security, as well as to stop fraud attempts.

With his right-wing Likud party leading a coalition of the extreme right and Jewish ultra-Orthodox, Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving leader, has regained control. Prior to being overthrown in June 2021 by a bipartisan coalition led by Lapid, he had held the position of prime minister for 12 straight years.

(With Inputs From ANI)