Israeli President Isaac Herzog has accepted the certified results of the country’s parliamentary elections, dealing a blow to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after his ruling bloc lost its majority. Herzog on Wednesday received the official results and began consultations with political parties on forming a new government. Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-member parliament, down from 68, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48 seats. Arab-led parties secured a combined 19 seats, their strongest performance in Israel’s parliamentary history. The election commission said it found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote or affected the results, dismissing allegations of electoral fraud raised by Netanyahu and his supporters. Neither main political bloc secured the 61 seats required to form a government, leaving coalition negotiations crucial to determining Israel’s next leadership. Herzog is expected to appoint the candidate he believes has the best chance of securing parliamentary support, with failure to form a government potentially triggering another election early next year.