President Ruby Rivlin will begin meeting with party heads on Sunday to get their recommendations for the candidate who will try to form the coalition.
On Sunday, Rivlin will be meeting with the Likud (30), the Zionist Union (24), the Joint Arab list (13), Bayit Yehudi (8), Shas (7), and UTJ (6).
On Monday, Rivlin is meeting with Yesh Atid (11), Kulanu (10), Yisrael Beytenu (6) and Meretz (5).
Likud, Bayit Yehudi, Kulanu, Shas, and UTJ are expected to recommend to the President that Netanyahu be given the task of trying to form a coalition.
Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) said he has not decided if he wants to support Netanyahu. He’s played similar games in the past.
Despite his party’s relatively poor showing in the elections, Liberman is demanding the Defense Ministry, which Netanyahu reportedly wants to leave in the hands of current Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon.
With 61 seats on his side, Rivlin is expected to task Netanyahu with trying to form the coalition, though ultimately it’s President Rivlin’s decision who gets the first shot.
If Netanyahu succeeds in coalition negotiations, he’ll once again be Israel’s Prime Minister.