PUTRAJAYA, June 6 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he will be announcing the names of those who will be helming the remaining vacant Cabinet positions next week.

Dr Mahathir said he had hoped to fill the positions this week but may have to wait until next week due to a tight schedule.

"Please be patient... we will inform the media whether its 26, 27 or even 500 ministers,” he said in jest after chairing the weekly Cabinet meeting at Kompleks Perdana Putra today.

Dr Mahathir is set to leave for Tokyo on his first overseas trip to attend the three-day 24th International Conference on the Future of Asia from June 10-12.

A total of 13 members of Malaysia’s first Pakatan Harapan (PH) Cabinet were sworn in at Istana Negara on May 21.

The ministerial portfolios filled were the Housing and Local Government; Transport; Human Resources; Defence; Finance; Agriculture and Agro-based Industry; Health; Rural Development; Home; Communications and Multimedia; Economic Affairs; Women, Family and Community Development; and Education.