Israeli president opens coalition talks after inconclusive parliamentary election

On 4 November 2026, Justice Noam Sohlberg, chair of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, handed the official results of the election to the 26th Knesset to President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. Herzog began consulting elected factions on the formation of a government. The vote had taken place on 27 October 2026.

The parties aligned with Benjamin Netanyahu held 53 seats and the bloc around Gadi Eisenkot held 48 seats. Two Arab-led alliances together accounted for the other 19 seats. Neither of the two main blocs therefore reached the 61 seats that constitute a majority in the 120-seat house. The consultations help Herzog assess who can build parliamentary support. The handover of results settles the seat distribution but does not establish which parties will ultimately govern.

Facts to remember

• Election date: 27 October 2026; official results handed over in Jerusalem on 4 November 2026.
• President Isaac Herzog received the results from Justice Noam Sohlberg, the chair of the Central Elections Committee.
• The 26th Knesset has 120 seats; an absolute majority is 61 seats.
• The initial government formation period is 28 days after the president assigns the task to a lawmaker.

Background

Under Israel’s Basic Law: The Government, the president consults parliamentary factions before asking a consenting member of the Knesset to form a government. The consultations allow the president to consider the member’s prospects of assembling support across factions. Basic Law: The President of the State separately provides for the head of state, who is elected by the Knesset for a single seven-year term.

Why it matters for exams

For CLAT general knowledge and comparative Polity, distinguish election results, the assignment to form a government, and the formation of a coalition.