Following is an informational outline on the process for the formation of the 35th Israeli government, courtesy of Israel’s current, interim government. Sounds complicated, right?
Read on.
1. MK Benny Gantz has 28 days to form a government (Basic Law: The Government [2001], Section 9(3))
2. If MK Gantz was unable to form a government or informs the president that he is unable to form a government or if a Knesset vote confidence in his government was unsuccessful, a majority of Members of Knesset are entitled to submit a written request to the president to give the role of forming a government to a specific MK, who agrees to it in writing, within 21 days (Section 10 (1))
3. If a request is submitted by a majority of Members of Knesset, the president must give the role to the MK stated in the request, within two days (Section 10 (2))
4. The MK given the role has 14 days to form a government (Section 10 (3))
5. If no request is submitted by a majority of Members of Knesset, or if the MK has not formed a government within the time frame, or if the MK informs the president that s/he is unable to form a government – the president must immediately inform the Speaker of the Knesset (Section 11 (1))
6. Once the president has informed the Speaker of the Knesset, they will view this as if the Knesset has decided to disperse itself before the end of its term, and elections will be held on the last Tuesday before the expiration of 90 days from the day the president was informed (Section 11 (2)).
[Please note that they will also consider the Knesset has dispersed itself in a situation where an MK who has been given the task of forming a government at the request of a majority of Members of Knesset, has presented the government to the Knesset and the Knesset does not pass a vote of confidence in it.]
Timetable
21 October MK Netanyahu informs that he is not able to form a government
23 October MK Gantz tasked with forming a government
20 November End of the 28-day period given to MK Gantz to form a government
11 December End of the 21-day period available to a majority of MKs to submit a request the president to give the task of forming a government to a specific MK.
[On the assumption that MK Gantz uses all the 28 days given to him. If MK Gantz informs the president that he is unable to form a government earlier than that, the 11 Dec date will be brought forward accordingly.] The MK given the task of forming a government at the request of a majority of Members of Knesset will then have 14 days to form a government.
Bottom line: If nothing works out, the People of Israel will once again be sent back to the polls for an unprecedented third round of elections sometime next March.