Jerusalem:Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called upon political parties to exert every effort to prevent the country from heading to another election. This appeal comes after the preliminary election results showed that neither of the main political blocs achieved a parliamentary majority.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Herzog made his remarks to reporters, as reported by Israeli public broadcaster KAN, emphasizing the importance of avoiding a repeat election. He announced plans to begin consultations with parliamentary factions next week, following the official election results from the Central Elections Committee.

Herzog expressed his expectation that all parties would engage in discussions with an open mind. He intends to listen to each faction, pose questions, and deliberate before assigning a lawmaker the responsibility of forming a new government. Under Israel's basic law, the president has seven days after the results are published to designate a Knesset member to form a government, with the selected individual having 28 days, plus possible extensions, to do so.

In the event that the first candidate fails to form a government, Herzog may appoint another lawmaker. Additionally, at a later stage, a group of at least 61 lawmakers can nominate a candidate to attempt to form a government. Failure to form a government could lead to another election.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc was projected to secure 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot was predicted to win 48 seats. Predominantly Arab parties were expected to gain 19 seats. Despite these projections, neither main bloc is anticipated to achieve the 61 seats necessary for a parliamentary majority, with over 500,000 special ballots still to be counted.