Israeli president will seek the formation of a new government "as soon as possible", his office said Wednesday, with incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu expected to be named prime minister.

Israeli president will seek the formation of a new government "as soon as possible", his office said Wednesday, with incumbent Benjamin Netanyahu expected to be named prime minister.

"We'll know tonight who has been charged with forming a government," a spokesman for President Reuven Rivlin told AFP.
"We need stability, and we need it quickly," he said.

"The president will certainly press upon the candidate the importance of getting it done as soon as possible."

Netanyahu surged to a surprise victory in last week's general election, beating the rival centre-left Zionist Union by 30 seats to 24 in the 120-member Knesset (parliament).

But the Israeli political system requires the government to have a parliamentary majority, meaning in reality that every prime minister has to form a coalition cabinet.

Six factions, comprising 67 MPs, have already thrown their support behind Netanyahu.

Following two days of consultations, Rivlin is due to formally name the candidate -- but this can only happen after he is presented with the official results of the election on Wednesday evening.

Netanyahu will have four weeks to form a new cabinet, although Rivlin can extend the deadline by another 14 days if necessary.