Following several election campaigns and the conclusion of the consultations on Sunday, Benjamin Netanyahu has been given the mandate and given the task of forming the new government in Israel.
For a record-breaking sixth time, Netanyahu will become prime minister of Israel. “After a series of election campaigns, the people decided clearly in favour of establishing a government headed by me,” Netanyahu announced in a tweet.
Netanyahu thanked all of the Knesset members who had supported his candidacy and predicted that the new administration would be successful and stable, working for the good of all citizens.
“I would like to thank all 64 members of the Knesset who recommended me. We will do everything so that, with God’s help, it will be a stable and successful government, a responsible and dedicated government that will work for the benefit of all the residents of the country without exception,” he wrote on Twitter.
Notably, the declaration was made on Friday after a meeting with representatives from each parliamentary faction by Israeli President Isaac Herzog.
Benjamin Netanyahu will have 28 days to create a new government as President Herzog has given him the authority to assume the reins, with the potential for a 14-day extension if necessary in accordance with Israeli legislation, according to CNN.
According to the Times of Israel, the pro-Netanyahu bloc received 64 seats in the Knesset as the final results showed that Netanyahu, 73, had won the national election.
In an unprecedented fifth election since 2019, Israelis headed to the polls because the political system had been paralysed for nearly four years. 120 people make up the parliament.
The Central Elections Committee reported that 12,495 ballots with a total vote of over 6.7 million eligible voters were cast. A total of 18,000 police officers were stationed across the nation to control traffic and security, as well as to stop fraud attempts.
With his right-wing Likud party leading a coalition of the extreme right and Jewish ultra-Orthodox, Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving leader, has regained control. Prior to being overthrown in June 2021 by a bipartisan coalition led by Lapid, he had held the position of prime minister for 12 straight years.