ISRAEL: 28 DAYS TO FORM A GOVERNMENT OR FAILURE

ISRAEL: 28 DAYS TO FORM A GOVERNMENT OR FAILURE

_By Henry Eze Mejeh_

Israel does not have a Presidential system like Nigeria or America. It has a Parliamentary system. No one is elected directly as Prime Minister. The people elect 120 members of the Knesset (Parliament), and from that Parliament, a Government must be formed.

This is what is happening now.

1. THE ELECTION WAS DEADLOCKED
No single party won 61 seats out of 120. No one has a majority alone. In Israel, that is normal. The country has many parties – Likud, Yesh Atid, Yashar, religious parties, Arab parties, and others. Government can only be formed by coalition.

2. THE PRESIDENT STEPS IN
The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, is not the Head of Government. He is the Head of State, a father-figure. By law, within 7 days after the election results are published, he must consult all party leaders and ask: “Who do you recommend? Who has the best chance to form a government?”

He has now chosen Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition alliance and Yashar party.

This is called _designation_.

3. THE 28-DAY CLOCK STARTS NOW
Eisenkot has exactly 28 days. Not 29. Not 30.

Inside those 28 days, he must do 3 things:

a) Get 61 signatures:* He must convince enough parties to support him to reach at least 61 out of 120 Knesset members. That is the magic number. 60 is not enough. 61 is government.

b) Negotiate Coalition Agreements: This is the hard part. Each small party will demand something – Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Justice, settlements, religion, budget, army service, etc. Eisenkot must write it down, sign agreements, share power, and promise a common policy. If one party walks away, the coalition collapses.

c) Present a Government to the Knesset for a Vote of Confidence: He must go before the Knesset, present his list of ministers, his policies, and ask the Knesset to vote YES. If he gets 61, he is sworn in as Prime Minister.

4. WHAT IF HE FAILS IN 28 DAYS?
The law is strict:

– The President may give him an extra 14 days, but only if the President believes he is close.
– If he still fails, the President can give the mandate to another person, usually Benjamin Netanyahu, for another 28 days.
– If that second person also fails, the mandate goes back to the Knesset. Any 61 members can come together and choose someone themselves within 21 days.
– If ALL fail, the Knesset is dissolved automatically. New elections must be held within 90 days.

That is why Israel has had 5 elections in 4 years before. Deadlock is expensive.

WHY THIS MATTERS FOR NIGERIA AND THE WORLD

This is rule of law in action. No one can force himself into power. No one can say “I won, therefore I am Prime Minister.” You must build consensus. You must get 61. You must respect the clock.

In Nigeria, we too must learn: Democracy is not just voting. Democracy is what happens AFTER voting – negotiation, coalition, respect for procedure, and respect for time limits set by law.

Let us watch Eisenkot’s 28 days. If he builds a coalition, Israel moves forward. If he fails, the people will speak again.

That is democracy. Not by noise. By numbers, by law, and by time.

*#HenryEzeMejeh #BarrHenryEzeMejeh #NvosiChambers #Israel #Knesset #GadiEisenkot #Herzog #Netanyahu #Democracy #28Days*