<p class="content-excerpt">his request must be justified and the delay is not granted automatically</p> <div class="components"> <p>Israel’s incoming prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Thursday for a 14-day extension to&nbsp;<a class="link" title="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670444465-analysis-clock-ticking-on-time-for-netanyahu-to-form-gov" href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670444465-analysis-clock-ticking-on-time-for-netanyahu-to-form-gov" _mce_href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670444465-analysis-clock-ticking-on-time-for-netanyahu-to-form-gov">form the coalition government</a>, as the deadline expires on December 11.</p> <p>This is the maximum statutory extension that can be claimed in these circumstances. However, the request for additional time must be justified and is not granted automatically by the president.</p> <p>While Netanyahu managed to sign agreements on the distribution of portfolios with all the allied parties making up the bloc that won the last elections, he still has to pass a reform that would allow&nbsp;<a class="link" title="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670480240-likud-shas-reach-agreement-on-minister-portfolios" href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670480240-likud-shas-reach-agreement-on-minister-portfolios" _mce_href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670480240-likud-shas-reach-agreement-on-minister-portfolios">Aryeh Deri, leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party</a>, to take a ministerial position, despite his suspended sentence for tax evasion. However, the vote can only be put on the parliament's agenda if the speaker of parliament comes from the new majority.</p> <p>Earlier on Tuesday, Netanyahu succeeded in gathering a majority of 61 deputies in favor of a vote to appoint a&nbsp;<a class="link" title="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670308598-netanyahu-bloc-set-to-replace-knesset-speaker" href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670308598-netanyahu-bloc-set-to-replace-knesset-speaker" _mce_href="https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/1670308598-netanyahu-bloc-set-to-replace-knesset-speaker">replacement for the current parliament speaker Mickey Levy&nbsp;</a>from outgoing prime minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party. Levy in turn announced that the vote would take place on Monday, a timing that does not allow the prime-minister designate to present his government before the deadline.</p> <p><br></p> </div>