3 Phase Process

The path to the Prime Minister’s Office unfolds in three distinct phases:

Phase 1 – Elections: Voters elect the Knesset, determining the distribution of seats among parties.
Phase 2 – President’s Residence: Party leaders recommend a prime ministerial candidate to the President, who then assigns the task of forming a government.
Phase 3 – Knesset Confidence Vote: The proposed government must secure the confidence of a simple majority.

Ahead of Phase 1, most parties publicly state which candidate they intend to recommend in Phase 2. Only parties that pass the electoral threshold in Phase 1 are eligible to participate in the nomination process. If a candidate receives the recommendations of 61 Members of Knesset in Phase 2, the President is obligated to assign that candidate the mandate to form a government. If no candidate reaches 61 recommendations, the President exercises discretion in selecting the nominee. Following the President’s nomination in Phase 2, formal coalition agreements are negotiated and signed in order to secure the majority required for the confidence vote in Phase 3. Approval of the new government requires a simple majority in the Knesset.