Israel’s current president has tapped the opposition leader to form a new government, a move which could potentially lead to the end of PM Netanyahu’s long reign. This decision came a day after the Prime Minister failed to organize a governing body by the deadline. The opposition leader, Lapid, accepted the nomination stating he hopes to create a balanced government reflecting different political ideologies across the spectrum. Lapid, a member of the opposing Yesh Atid party, is popular with secular middle-class voters. The party is critical of Netanyahu’s ties with ultra-Orthodox parties, calling for him to step down while he faces charges for corruption. Lapid offered a power-sharing deal to Naftali Bennett, the leader of a right-wing party in Israel, and another rival of Netanyahu– this deal would mean sharing the prime minister position in a rotation. By sharing power with Bennett, Lapid would secure the necessary votes for a parliamentary majority. Currently, he is backed by the left wing Labor party, the center-left party, and another fiercely anti-Netanyahu party, each of which make up the “change” bloc of Israel.
The calls for renewed government in Israel is symbolic of the bureaucratic turmoil in the state- the goal for creating a newly unified government comes as leaders work towards averting a fifth election in less than three years. For the past 2 years, critics say the government is essentially non-functioning, with many different crises and a complete lack of budget and organization. Netanyahu is one of the most divisive figures in Israeli politics, as he desperately clings to remain in office while standing trial for corruption. As the situation continues to worsen for Netanyahu, other Israeli political leaders make moves towards improving the bureaucratic situation for the state.