What is the role of the Israeli president after the end of the elections... and what do the latest results look like?

Election night in Israel ends when all the votes are counted, but this is only the first step; The process of forming the government passes through the head of state, who plays a pivotal role in the political scene that follows the elections.

After the final results are announced, President Isaac Herzog begins consultations with all elected parties, asking each of them which person they recommend to take over the position of Prime Minister. He then assigns the task of forming a government to the candidate he deems most capable of securing a parliamentary majority of 61 seats. This candidate does not have to be the leader of the largest party, but rather the person whom the president believes has a better chance of forming a government coalition.

When the election results are clear, the choice may be clear. However, if there is no clear winner or a deadlock occurs, the president’s decision may be decisive for coalition formation negotiations.

After Herzog decides who will be tasked with forming the government, the chosen candidate will be given 28 days - with the possibility of an additional 14 days - to negotiate with the other parties regarding ministerial positions, budget priorities, and policy commitments.

The goal is simple: to try to form a government. If the candidate fails to do so, the authorization is granted to another candidate for an additional period of four weeks. If he too fails, the Knesset will have a short period to nominate another candidate; If this is not possible, the country will head towards a new round of elections.

The current vote count results show that both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Gadi Eisenkot do not have a clear path to a majority, further strengthening Herzog's role in the process. In the absence of a clear majority for either party, Herzog may seek to direct the two largest parties to form a national unity government. Two weeks before the elections, Herzog stated that he would do his best to "form a stable government" and avoid another election.

It is eleven in the morning in Jerusalem, and more than 70% of the votes have been counted. Here are the current projections based on ballots counted so far:

• The right-wing bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to obtain 54 seats.

• The opposition bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot, now has 47 seats.

• The Arab parties - the Unified List and the Joint List - have 19 seats.