Netanyahu misses deadline to form coalition

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu missed the deadline to form a governing coalition early Wednesday morning, continuing the country’s political stalemate that has gone on for two years.

Netanyahu had until midnight Tuesday to form a new coalition government, but he failed to meet the deadline, according to The Associated Press.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will now be tasked with deciding how to proceed, including possibly assigning the coalition-building duty to another member of Parliament.

According to Haaretz, Rivlin has three days to make a decision.

He is expected to talk with leaders of the parties elected in March to the parliament before making a final decision on what action to take, the AP reported.

The missed deadline does not signal that Netanyahu will be ousted from his position as prime minister, the AP noted. It does, however, pose a treat to his extensive rule.

Additionally, the failure to form a coalition could cause Netanyahu’s Likud party to be propelled into the opposition for the first time in 12 years, the AP reported.

Netanyahu’s opponents have reportedly been conducting informal talks in recent weeks to discuss a power-sharing deal, according to the wire service.

Netanyahu was tapped earlier this month to try to form a governing coalition, as lawmakers looked to avoid an unprecedented fifth “snap election” in two years.

Rivlin at the time said he believed Netanyahu had the best chance of cobbling together a coalition that would hold a majority in Israel’s parliament.