Israel's president to pick candidate next week to try to form a government

FILE PHOTO: Israel's President Reuven Rivlin speaks during a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron, after a working lunch, at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France March 18, 2021. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel's president will begin consultations with political parties next Monday on their preferred candidate to try to form a government, a spokesman said, after a fourth election in two years ended in another stalemate.

After hearing the parties' recommendations, President Reuven Rivlin will assign the coalition-building task to one of the candidates by April 7, a spokesman said.