Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said Sept. 25 that he will ask incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the country's next government despite his party trailing its main rival in the inconclusive Sept. 17 parliamentary election.
Rivlin made the announcement after talks between Netanyahu's Likud Party and Benny Gantz's Blue and White Party on forming a unity government yielded no results, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
Gantz, the former military chief of Israel, declared victory over Netanyahu last week as both leaders failed to secure an outright majority in Israel's 120-member parliament. The final, official election results announced Sept. 24 showed that the Blue and White Party won 33 seats, ahead of Likud Party's 32 seats.
However, Netanyahu received 55 recommendations for prime minister, while Gantz obtained 54, the report said.
If Netanyahu is unable to form a government, Rivlin may allow 61 parliament members to present another candidate for prime minister, instead of tapping Gantz to form a government, according to Haaretz, citing political sources.
