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We have the Israeli exit polls. What happens next?
Although exit polls give an early indication of what might happen next, the real competition begins once the votes are counted and the coalition-building process begins. It can take weeks or even months for a winner to emerge.
After the final vote count, usually a few days later, the president holds a series of consultations in which each elected party recommends its choice for prime minister.
Based on these discussions, the president then appoints a candidate to form the government. This is not necessarily the leader of the largest party, but rather the one with the best chance of building a viable coalition.
As things stand, outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is unlikely to be chosen as neither the opposition bloc nor Arab parties will recommend him.
If so, President Isaac Herzog will likely give the first opportunity to form a government to Gadi Eisenkot.
He would have four to six weeks to negotiate with other parties over ministerial posts, budget priorities and policy, trying to assemble a majority in the Knesset. If the exit poll results prove accurate, both Arab parties will play a key role in this process.
A survey conducted this evening by the Hebrew University’s aChord Center found that a majority of those who voted for the opposition bloc want Eisenkot to form a government with Raam, one of the two Arab parties.
If Eisenkot were to fail – a real possibility given his relative inexperience – the other candidate, most likely Netanyahu, would be given a chance by the president to form a government and the entire negotiation process would start again.
If he also fails, the Knesset itself has a short period of time to present another candidate, and if it fails to do so, the country will go to new elections.
Winning is therefore not just about votes and seats, it is also about building – and maintaining – a viable coalition.
Gn world
