Herzog elected Israel’s 11th president

OCCUPIED-AL-QUDS: Israel’s parliament elected the even-keeled Labor veteran Isaac Herzog as its 11th president on Wednesday, a vote that came as opposition lawmakers scrambled to forge a coalition to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu.

Herzog, 60, beat former headmistress Miriam Peretz to replace President Reuven Rivlin, who was elected in 2014 to the largely ceremonial position decided by the parliament, or Knesset. The Israeli presidency exerts little power, primarily meeting with party leaders after legislative elections and tasking candidates with forming governments. It is the country’s prime minister who wields actual executive authority.