Israel’s constitution requires that the premiership go to the head of the party receiving not a plurality but a majority—that is, 61, of the 120 Knesset seats. Since, given the country’s fractious political system, neither Likud nor its primary rival, Zionist Union, can emerge victorious alone or even with one or two medium-sized parties, each would have to form a coalition with various smaller parties, some of which could swing right or left. But, writes Haviv Rettig Gur, there’s also another variable in the equation:
With no candidate winning the 61 recommendations for an outright appointment, the president may decide to force a national-unity government. Can the president do that? Yes, with surprising ease.
It is completely within President [Reuven] Rivlin’s constitutional rights to offer both [Isaac] Herzog and [Benjamin] Netanyahu an ultimatum: agree to a national-unity government, dividing the premiership by rotation, or see your opponent get the first chance at premier. The simple fact that so much of the next Knesset won’t be beholden to either left or right makes this a possibility, since Herzog would likely be able to gather together a coalition with nearly as much ease as Netanyahu.
But would Rivlin force his will onto grudging coalition partners? Netanyahu think so. This was the fear that drove him to oppose Rivlin’s candidacy for president last year.
Read more on Times of Israel: http://www.timesofisrael.com/the-man-who-will-decide-israels-election/