Zehut party chairman, Moshe Feiglin, has announced he will recommend Benjamin Netanyahu to President Isaac Herzog to form the next government.
The party, which ran on a joint ticket with Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist party, has requested to consult separately with President Herzog ahead of the formation of the next government.
Ahead of the meeting, Feiglin clarified that despite his demand to dissolve the Knesset, his only recommendation for forming a government would be for Netanyahu, as he had pledged throughout the election campaign.
In a public statement, Feiglin claimed that the election results do not reflect the will of the electorate and accused the judicial system and the Attorney General of attempting to cover up irregularities he claims occurred during the election process.
"The same exact system is trying to sweep under the rug the most serious violation of the sovereignty of the people: distorting the will of the voter and stealing the elections," Feiglin said.
According to Feiglin, "We are being presented with an Orwellian spectacle in which they are trying to convince us that the emperor is clothed, but the emperor is completely naked. Everyone saw it with their own eyes, the evidence is clear, and the attempt by the Attorney General and the establishment to dictate to us what we are seeing undermines the democratic foundations of the State of Israel."
Feiglin compared the handling of allegations of election irregularities to the judicial system's conduct in other public controversies, including the Military Advocate General affair and the Force 100 case.
The Zehut party maintains that the only way to restore public confidence in the democratic process is to return the decision to the voters by holding new elections.
"They have taken away your freedom to choose your own leaders. This cannot and will not stand," Feiglin declared. "The Zehut party insists that the Knesset must dissolve itself and that we must hold new elections, because without free and genuine elections, democracy has no meaning."
The consultation meetings with representatives of the factions elected to the 26th Knesset will begin on Wednesday at the President's Residence. During the meetings, which will be broadcast live, the President will hear the factions' recommendations regarding which candidate should be tasked with forming the next government.
In contrast to the past, this time the president will meet with the parties from smallest to largest. The first party to meet with the President will be the Religious Zionist party, followed by the others.
The President has discretion in determining which candidate will be tasked with forming the government. However, a candidate who secures the support of 61 Knesset members is expected to receive the mandate.
According to assessments within the political establishment, Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot is expected to receive the highest number of recommendations in the first round of consultations and, consequently, the mandate to form the next government.