Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main challenger, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, won support on Sunday from two key parties in his bid to form a new government that would end the incumbent's long tenure at the helm of the Israeli government.
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Rivlin announced on Sunday that in the wake of Gantz's nominal lead in Knesset endorsements, he would get the first shot at forming a government.
Rivlin will officially tap Gantz as prime minister-designated on Monday, kicking off a 28- to 42-day period in which the Blue and White leader can swear in a government.
Rivlin summoned both Netanyahu and Gantz to hammer out a potential power-sharing deal that would have the two serve as prime ministers on a rotating basis, but it was unclear if there was any progress on that front.
Fighting for his political life under the cloud of a criminal indictment for alleged corruption, Netanyahu has proposed that he lead a six-month "national emergency" government to confront the coronavirus crisis.
It would include his right-wing Likud party and former general Gantz's Blue and White faction, which has fewer ideological allies in the Knesset than Netanyahu's Likud, but may get enough tacit support when it presents a government for a confidence vote.
With no clear winner in a March 2 election, President Reuven Rivlin held consultations with the leaders of all parties that won legislative seats on who to tap to begin coalition-building.
Endorsements by two bitter enemies, the Joint List of Arab parties and former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, appeared to give Gantz the edge with 61 of parliament's 120 seats versus 58 for Netanyahu.
In power for the past 10 years after an initial term from 1996 to 1999, Netanyahu, 70, has denied any wrongdoing in three corruption cases.
The coronavirus emergency led to restrictions that delayed the start on Tuesday of his trial on bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges, to May 24.
Rivlin, who has voiced support for a unity government invited Netanyahu and Gantz to meet him on Sunday. Gantz has been cool on teaming up with Netanyahu, citing the legal action.
But after three inconclusive elections in less than a year, it was unclear whether Gantz could find a formula for a Blue and White-led government underpinned by Arab legislators and Lieberman, who have long had an acrimonious relationship.
Speaking at a televised meeting with Rivlin, Joint List head Ayman Odeh endorsed Gantz and said its voters had said "an emphatic 'no' to a right-wing government and Benjamin Netanyahu."
The Joint List is now the third biggest party in parliament, with 15 legislators.
Lieberman, at his session with Gantz, said: "We recommend Benny Gantz for a very, very simple reason. In the previous election, we said the most important thing was to prevent a fourth election."
