President Reuven Rivlin began consultations Sunday morning with the representatives of the ten parties elected to the 20th Knesset. 

“In a democracy the majority decides – and the majority expressed its will clearly in these elections,” Rivlin told Likud representatives – the first to meet with him at his official residence Sunday at 10 a.m.

“The role of the president after elections is to serve as a trustee of the public, and to ensure the process of forming the next government is as fast and transparent as possible,” he added. 

According to the President, in light of the security and social issues Israel faces, and the crucial need for a budget, a new government must be formed as soon as possible – and early consultations will achieve that. 

“With the beginning of the consultations, I call on elected officials to do all they can to speed up the process and the coalition negotiations, in order to allow the system to function properly again,” Rivlin said. 

Noting the stormy and highly passionate election, the President stressed it was time to start the defragmentation process and begin helping Israeli society heal. 

“While the government that will form was elected by the majority of Israeli citizens, it will have to respond to the needs of all the citizens of Israel,” he added. 

MK Zeev Elkin, who served as one of Likud’s representatives during the meeting, informed Rivlin that the Likud party wishes to see its leader, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, form the next government. 

“The public has spoken and there has not been a case where the elections were more personal – yes Netanyahu or no Netanyahu – and the public decided,” Elkin noted. 

“Therefore, I recommend Binyamin Netanyahu for prime minister and call on all other party leaders, especially those in the national camp, to do this job as quickly as possible and recommend Netanyahu without games, without negotiations and extortions, as much as possible, so as to establish a stable government in Israel.”