President Shimon Peres
President Shimon Peres

The Central Elections Committee met with President Shimon Peres on Wednesday evening and presented him with the official results of the election. Peres will now meet with each Knesset faction to discuss its recommendation for the position of prime minister.

Peres's first meeting will be with Kadima, the largest party by one seat, and will take place on Wednesday night. He will then meet with representatives from Likud, the second-largest party.

Peres will continue meeting with party heads throughout Thursday and into Friday. When all of the meetings have been concluded, Peres will task either Kadima head Tzipi Livni or Likud head Binyamin Netanyahu with forming the next governing coalition.

Peres expressed optimism as he received the results, saying “I am certain that a blessed partnership will be formed, as the good of the country stands before each participant in this democratic process.”

“I act with a sense of deep commitment to Israeli citizens and the honor of the state,” Peres added.

He thanked Elections Committee Chairman Eliezer Rivlin, telling him, “I want to thank you in the people's name for your important work. You did your job professionally, efficiently and with a sense of public mission.”

Likud Looks to Yisrael Beiteinu

Earlier on Wednesday, senior members of Likud responded positively to demands made by Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home), the new third-largest Knesset faction. Yisrael Beiteinu's recommendation to Peres is expected to carry significant weight, and both Kadima and Likud have reached out to the party since the elections.

Likud members said they agreed to Yisrael Beiteinu's demand that all Israeli citizens be loyal to the state, but added that any law demanding loyalty would need to conform to “international, judicial and constitutional norms.”

Likud also pledged to assist hundreds of thousands of non-Jewish immigrants, to work towards a change in the electoral system, and to provide additional benefits to those who complete military or national service – all demands made by Yisrael Beiteinu earlier in the week.