Benjamin Netanyahu misses deadline to form Israel government, opening door for rivals
- Despite winning the most seats in the March election, the PM’s Likud party did not secure a majority in parliament and was unable to form a coalition
- Netanyahu’s failure gives his opponents a chance to take power and end his record tenure
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mandate to form a government following an inconclusive election expired on Wednesday, giving his rivals a chance to take power and end the divisive premier’s record tenure.
Netanyahu, on trial over corruption charges he denies, had a 28-day window to secure a coalition following the March 23 vote, Israel’s fourth in less than two years.
The 71-year-old’s right-wing Likud party won the most seats in the vote, but he and his allies came up short of an absolute majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament.
The results delivered by a deeply fractured electorate left Netanyahu with a daunting path towards 61 seats, as voters broadly chose not to reward him for a successful coronavirus vaccination campaign.
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President Reuven Rivlin’s office said in a statement that Netanyahu had “informed [the presidency] that he was unable to form a government and so returned the mandate to the president”.