The consultations ahead of assigning a Knesset Member with the task of forming a government will be held at Beit HaNasi once the results of the elections are clear, official and final, and have been presented to the President by Central Elections Committee Chairman Supreme Court Justice Neil Hendel at the end of the eight-day period following election day as specified in law.
According to this timetable, Judge Hendel will present the president with the election results on March 10th, 2020. The president has seven days to hold consultations and to arrive at a decision, no later than 17 March 2020 / 21 Adar 5780. It should be noted that the decision may be reached before the end of the seven-day period.
This is a change from the policy taken by President Rivlin in the last two election campaigns, in which the consultation process took place even before the official results were delivered.
According to the timetable, the judge will deliver the results to the President next Tuesday, Purim Day, and to the President 7 days for the decision on who to entrust the government, even though he may impose the government on one of the Knesset members earlier.
The Knesset Member to whom the President of the State has assigned the task of forming a government under shall have a period of 28 days for the fulfillment of such task. The President of the State may extend the period by additional periods not exceeding 14 days in total. If the time allocated to the Knesset Member has passed and the Knesset Member has not notified the President of the State that he has formed a government, or where s/he has notified him before then that s/he is unable to form a government, or where s/he presented a government and the Knesset rejected his/her request for confidence in the government, the President of the State has two options between which he must choose within three days:
1. To assign the task of forming a government on another Knesset Member who has notified him that he is prepared to accept the task, who will then have 28 days to form a government.
2. To inform the Speaker of the Knesset that he sees no possibility of forming a government.
If the President informs the Speaker of the Knesset that he sees no possibility of forming a government, or if he has assigned another Knesset Member with the task of forming a government and this Knesset Member has also been unable to do so, or the Knesset Member has informed the President of the State that he is unable to do so, or a government has been presented to the Knesset which has expressed its lack of confidence in it, then a majority (61) Knesset Members are entitled to request, in writing, that the president assign the task of forming a government on a Knesset Member of their choice who agrees to this in writing, within a period of 21 days. If such a request is made, the president must assign the task to the Knesset Member named in the request within two days, and the Knesset Member assigned the task by the majority of Knesset Members has 14 days to form a government.
If no such request is made by a majority of Knesset Members, or if the Knesset Members named by the majority of Knesset Members does not form a government, or if s/he informs the president that s/he is unable to form a government, or if a government is presented to the Knesset and does not gain its confidence, the Knesset will dissolve before its term is complete and new elections will be held.
Summary of relevant dates:
· 10 March / 14 Adar - presentation of official election results to the president
· 10-17 March / 14-21 Adar - possible days for holding consultations with the parties at Beit HaNasi
· 17 March / 21 Adar- final date by which, according to law, the task of assigning a candidate who has agreed to accept it to form a government.
This time again, as in the past, the consultations will be broadcast live from Beit HaNasi and with full transparency for the public.