Israeli President Isaac Herzog accepted the certified results from last week’s vote on Wednesday. He immediately initiated consultations with political party representatives to form a new government.
Neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nor challenger Gadi Eisenkot secured an outright parliamentary majority. Both leaders are now negotiating aggressively with smaller parties to assemble a governing coalition.
Israel’s election commission confirmed earlier on Wednesday that it found no fraud during the vote. This announcement dealt a significant blow to Netanyahu’s recent efforts to discredit the official results.
Netanyahu and his supporters had repeatedly claimed without evidence that Arab-led parties stole the election. They also alleged that foreign actors might have assisted in the process.
The finalized figures showed Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist bloc losing its parliamentary majority. Meanwhile, Arab-led parties achieved substantial gains across the country.
The election committee stated that its review uncovered no irregularities compromising the integrity of the vote. Acting director Dean Livne confirmed that officials thoroughly investigated every individual complaint.
Livne emphasized that the certified results accurately reflect the choices voters made at the ballot box. He rejected all claims suggesting the final outcome was invalid.
Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg noted that potential foreign influence would not undermine the electoral process. He maintained that the overall vote count remains entirely reliable.
The Shin Bet intelligence service continues to investigate separate allegations regarding foreign interference. However, election officials do not believe any foreign actions altered the election results.
President Herzog will consult with elected party representatives over the next two days. He will then select the candidate best positioned to form a coalition government.
Herzog will likely choose either Netanyahu or Eisenkot to lead the coalition building. That decision will initiate several weeks of complex political negotiations.
If neither leader assembles a coalition, Israel will hold a new election early next year. Netanyahu’s campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment.
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