Former armed forces chief Benny Gantz has a shot at ending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s record-breaking term in office, but still faces a tough battle to capture the premiership.

Netanyahu announced on Monday evening he could not form a new government following a deadlocked September election, making way for Gantz to try.

But although Gantz’s centrist Blue and White alliance won 33 seats in parliament, one more than Netanyahu’s Likud, he has not so far secured the support of the majority of the 120 lawmakers needed to form a stable coalition.

Gantz, a 60-year-old former paratrooper, had no previous political experience when he declared himself Netanyahu’s electoral rival in December.