When will the Knesset elect a Speaker?

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Where it stands

• 2026-10-27: election. Netanyahu bloc 53 seats, Eisenkot bloc 48, Arab parties 19.¹
• 2026-11-08: President Herzog gives Gadi Eisenkot the mandate to form a government; deadline 2026-12-06, extendable by 14 days.^2,5
• 2026-11-10: the Knesset is sworn in without a Speaker vote. Amir Ohana (Likud) stays on as outgoing Speaker.^3,6
• 67 members ask for a vote. Ohana sets it for 2026-11-17, 16:00 Israel time. Candidate: Matan Kahana (Yashar).^3,4

Nothing requires a vote by a fixed date. Two things force one: a majority demand, under the 2020 Supreme Court ruling in HCJ 2144/20,⁷ and the sitting that swears in a government, which must elect a Speaker first.⁶

Model and forecast →

Sources

1. Jerusalem Post. 2026 election results.
2. Times of Israel. Eisenkot-led bloc agrees on Matan Kahana as next Knesset Speaker.
3. Haaretz, 2026-11-10. Ohana sets vote on his successor for next Tuesday.
4. Times of Israel. Tibi says Joint List will vote for Kahana.
5. Basic Law: The Government, ss. 8 and 13.
6. Knesset Rules of Procedure, ch. B1 s. 2; Basic Law: The Knesset s. 20.
7. HCJ 2144/20, Movement for Quality Government v. Speaker of the Knesset (2020).
8. Israel Hayom. The Joint List's demand in return for supporting replacing the Speaker (Hebrew; not read).

Last updated 2026-11-12

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