Would-be Malaysian prime ministers Anwar Ibrahim and Muhyiddin Yassin were locked in a battle to secure enough votes to form a government by a mid-afternoon deadline after Saturday’s election resulted in the country’s first-ever hung parliament.
Anwar, whose Pakatan Harapan bloc won the most seats in the vote, said late Sunday that he had the 112 lawmakers necessary to establish a majority and the premiership. Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said two smaller parties based in the Borneo regions of Sarawak and Sabah had said they were prepared to support him as premier.
Malaysia’s king, Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah, has set a 2 p.m. deadline for lawmakers to inform him of their choice for prime minister. A key question is which side a third major player, former leader Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Barisan Nasional, will take.
A small coalition from the Borneo state of Sarawak said it would join a government that comprised Muhyiddin’s coalition Perikatan Nasional and Barisan Nasional. BN has denied being in discussions to form such a government.
Anwar Confident He Will Have an Opportunity to Lead (9:16 p.m.)
Opposition leader Anwar urged his supporters to be patient, saying he has the numbers to form government. He declined to reveal the parties as these groups would make their own statements.
“I am happy because we have virtually settled this,” Anwar told a local TV station. “With the level of support, I am confident I will be given the opportunity to lead the country.”
Anwar denied having talks with BN chairman Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
BN Denies Talks with Muhyiddin to Form Government (9:01 p.m.)
The coalition’s chairman Zahid said there had been no negotiation with Muhyiddin’s PN alliance that could lead to the formation of a new administration.
Zahid, who is facing calls within his party UMNO to step down as president, reminded those who won parliament seats in the elections had signed a letter of undertaking that gives him the mandate to decide on which political alliances to follow. This signals a growing split between Zahid and those loyal to outgoing premier Ismail that could complicate UMNO-led BN’s ability to be a king maker.
He warned that any lawmaker that went against the coalition risked losing their membership and their parliament seat, in line with new anti-hopping laws.
Sarawak Parties Say Willing to Work with Muhyiddin (6:27 p.m.)
A clutch of parties in Sarawak have expressed a readiness to work with Muhyiddin’s PN to form government. The chairman of the Sarawak coalition appeared to suggest that an alliance between the parties of the two Borneo states, BN and PN would help stabilize the country.
Such a grouping would allow Muyhiddin to comfortably exceed the 111 seats threshold to form government and become prime minister.
Muhyiddin later issued a statement saying parties from the Borneo states are willing to work with him. His statement didn’t mention BN. Both BN and the other coalition from Sabah have yet to publicly disclose who they will support.
Calls for UMNO President to Resign Grow Louder (3:30 p.m.)
Zahid must resign following the ruling party’s defeat in Saturday’s election produced Malaysia’s first hung parliament, Shahril Hamdan said in a tweet, joining the chorus of voices asking Zahid to step down.
Zahid must lead by example by taking responsibility for the losses, Shahril said while resigning from his position as UMNO’s information chief. This must be done before UMNO makes any further decisions about the future of the party, he said.
Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, who lost in his bid to win a new parliament seat, said Shahril had done the right thing and now senior leaders must follow.
King Orders Party Leaders to Disclose Their Choice of PM (2:16 p.m.)
Malaysian party leaders have until 2 p.m. Monday to inform the nation’s monarch their choice of prime minister and the alliances they have formed, after Saturday’s vote produced the country’s first-ever hung parliament.
The king’s decision on the new government and appointment of the premier will be final, in line with the constitution, the national palace said in a statement Sunday. The ruler has the discretion to name the premier whom he believes commands the majority support of lawmakers.
Muhyiddin Meets Parties to Discuss Forming Government (11:56 a.m.)
Muhyiddin said he met with Sarawak chief minister Abang Haji Abdul Rahman and Abdul Hadi Awang, the president of PAS, to discuss the formation of the next government. If the regional parties in Sarawak join PN, it would bring them to 95 seats, falling short of a 111 needed to clinch a majority.
Muhyiddin said his coalition is also negotiating with other ‘like-minded parties” and independent lawmakers.
( curtesy Bloomberg)