Netanyahu: 50, Livni: (still) 28

Both Netanyahu and Livni have been busy since the election results came in, working on forming a coalition in advance of the decision of President Peres on Wednesday on whom to have form the new government. For his part, Netanyahu has enlarged his base of 27 mandates and now has 50.

Apparently, Livni is having no more lucking forming a coalition this time around than than the last time:

Kadima, by contrast, only has the support of its own 28 MKs, after both Labor and Meretz announced Monday that they would not support Kadima leader Tzipi Livni because she is seeking a coalition with Israel Beiteinu

Meanwhile, Haim Ramon was busy doing all he could to claim that Lieberman's Israel Beiteinu and Kadima saw eye-to-eye:

Ramon added that Likud could not back Israel Beiteinu's push for civil unions, changes to the electoral system and conversion reforms, and therefore, Netanyahu's party still hadn't responded to its list of demands.

Ramon claimed that the positions of Avigdor Lieberman's party were closest to those of Kadima...

...Livni gained an edge over Netanyahu on Monday when she sent Ramon to formally agree to nearly all of Israel Beiteinu's coalition demands - including toppling Hamas, changing the electoral system, funding immigrants, reforming conversions and recognizing civil unions between men and women who live together as partners without a religious ceremony.

The only demand Kadima did not accept was the loyalty oath initiation.

So much for that edge. The end result has been that Livni is no closer to forming a coalition than she was the day of the election.

All that is left now is for Peres to call on Netanyahu to form the next government--and for the world to decry the new hardliners in the right-wing government.

Technorati Tag: Israeli Elections.