Tel Aviv: Israeli President Isaac Herzog has officially given opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government.

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After the formal announcement on Sunday evening, Eisenkot, who ran as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival, now has to launch complicated negotiations with potential coalition partners. He has six weeks to form a government.

The October 27 elections gave neither Netanyahu's bloc nor Eisenkot a clear majority in parliament. Among the kingmakers -- and most politically fraught potential allies -- are the Arab-led parties. They made historic gains in the election and have been a target of Netanyahu and his allies.

(This story has not been edited by Mathrubhumi and is published from a syndicated feed.)