Issac Herzog Elected President By 87-26 Margin In Knesset

Former Labor Party leader and chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel non-profit Issac Herzog has been elected as Israel's next president, succeeding Reuven Rivlin.

• Herzog defeated educator and conservative activist Miriam Peretz in a vote in the Knesset by a margin of 87 to 26, the largest margin of victory for any Israeli president.
• The president is a largely ceremonial figure, but plays an important role in handing mandates to party leaders that are seeking to form a coalition gov't.
• Herzog comes from a prominent political family, with his father Chaim Herzog, serving as president from 1983-93, while his grandfather Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1936-59.
• Herzog's term will begin 9 July, meaning the incumbent Rivlin will still be in control of handing out mandates as the opposition attempt to put together a majority coalition to oust PM Benjamin Netanyahu (the current mandate for Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid expires tonight at midnight).