The president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, has urged this Wednesday that the different blocs and political formations of the country sit down to negotiate with an "open mind" with the aim of bringing forth a new Government and avoiding another date with the ballot boxes, after elections in which Likud, the party of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has prevailed, although his bloc remains far from the necessary majority of 61 seats.
"There is something that must be clear, and I already said it before the elections: we must do everything possible, especially after what happened yesterday, to avoid other elections", he has stated in remarks released by his office, stressing that the political forces must approach the round of contacts "with an open mind".
Herzog has highlighted the high turnout of the Israeli citizenry at the polls, emphasizing the "impressive" mobilization. "It is a cause for pride for Israeli society, and it has been extraordinary to see how rooted the desire for democracy is in Israel", he has noted.
Regarding the next steps, the head of state has explained that next week he will receive from the electoral authorities the official results of the elections. "From there, I will begin the consultation process by listening to each and every one of the factions, asking questions and holding debates", he has specified.
Netanyahu has won the elections held this Tuesday in Israel, although the formation of the future Executive will depend on the agreements he can reach with other forces. In this scenario, the Arab lists Joint List and United Arab List (Raam) have already shown their willingness to negotiate with the coalition headed by the former Chief of Staff, Gadi Eisenkot, with the aim of ousting the current prime minister.