Istana Negara: No one has majority to be new PM, party leaders to nominate PM candidate

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 — The Yang di-Pertuan Agong has not identified any MP that has the majority support among MPs to be the prime minister, Istana Negara said today.

“Istana Negara will contact the leaders of political parties with representatives in the Dewan Rakyat, to give an opportunity to them to present nominations of Dewan Rakyat members as future Prime Minister,” the Comptroller of the Royal Family and Household Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said in a statement today.

“Based on the interview process, in his opinion, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is still not confident that a single parliamentarian has the majority support from the Dewan Rakyat members to form the new government,” Ahmad Fadi added.

He said that Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah also consented to the decision by the Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof rejecting Interim Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s bid for a special sitting Monday, on grounds that it does not meet the prerequisites.

“The Yang di-Pertuan Agong would now continue the effort to seek a solution in line with the Federal Constitution, in the interest of the people’s wellbeing, and this country which we all love,” Ahmad Fadi added.

Earlier today, Mohamad Ariff said that the letter submitted by Dr Mahathir did not meet the conditions of Parliament’s Standing Order 11(3) as it did not provide a complete “Notice of Motion”.

The Speaker also concluded that the meeting can only be held upon receiving the decree from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong on the selection process for the next prime minister.

Standing Order 11 (3) states that the purview to decide on a date for the special sitting is with the Dewan Rakyat Speaker and not the interim prime minister, Mohamad Ariff asserted in the letter.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) MPs have come up in arms against Dr Mahathir whom they claimed had overstepped his powers when he told reporters yesterday that a special Parliament sitting would be held this Monday to vote for the next prime minister.

Dr Mahathir said yesterday that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong had hit a dead end in his attempt to determine which prime minister candidate has majority support, leading the King to declare that the Parliament was the best forum to decide this, failing which fresh elections may be held.