Herzog to name who will form Israel's next government on Sunday
Parties backing Gadi Eisenkot and Benjamin Netanyahu hold 67 and 46 seats respectively, Herzog said, adding that forming a coalition remains uncertain.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will announce on Sunday which lawmaker will be tasked with forming the next government, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.
Herzog made the remarks in a video message on Thursday, which was carried by the Israeli news outlet Ynet, after holding consultations with political parties following last month's elections.
He said parties representing 67 of the Knesset's 120 seats recommended Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the Yashar party, while parties holding 46 seats backed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the Likud party.
"The results of the consultations may appear clear," Herzog said, but he warned that the ability to form a government remains uncertain because of objections between and within the political blocs.
Herzog said he would hold further individual talks with party leaders to assess how likely each of them is to build a coalition.
He stressed that he would make every effort to help create a stable government.
Israel held parliamentary elections on Oct. 27, and neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition won an outright majority.
Under Israeli law, the president must consult parliamentary factions before choosing a lawmaker to form a government, and must consider whether that person can secure majority support in the Knesset.
The role of Israel's president is largely ceremonial, but the choice of who is asked to form a government is one of the office's most consequential decisions.
