Coalition government

In a multi-party democracy, a coalition government is one in which two or more political parties agree to share power. Coalitions have been formed in times of national crisis or in times of political turmoil.

Coalition governments are most characteristic of parliamentary governments (e.g., Westminster system). Typically, the head of state will be outside the government and will approve the ruling coalition, to be led by the head of government.

A coalition need not include the party that received the most votes, as long as the coalition puts together a sufficient number of votes to be recognized. This is the current situation in the State of Israel.