KUALA LUMPUR, 10 May 2018:
No swearing in ceremony for the post of prime minister will be held at the Istana Negara today.
A source from the Istana Negara said the ceremony would not be held today and the Istana would inform should it had received the latest information on the ceremony.
“So far there is no information when the swearing in will be take place. Definitely not today, also not tonight.”
Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, 92, was expected to be sworn in as the seventh prime minister of Malaysia following the success of the Pakatan Harapan in the 14th general election (GE14) yesterday.
Pakatan Harapan, a pact of four opposition political parties led by Dr Mahathir, won handsomely in this general election, ending the rule of Barisan Nasional (BN) which had governed for over 60 years.
Dr Mahathir is also the fourth prime minister and is the same person who led the BN to victory for five terms in the general elections from 1982 until 1999.
Mahathir must now manage a fractious alliance of four parties and make way for jailed PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to become the next prime minister, another former protege with whom he split acrimoniously before reuniting to topple Najib.
Outgoing Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V will have to make the decision on who will be appointed the country’s next prime minister – the King’s decision delayed due to no single political party winning outright simple majority in parliament.
It is up to the Agong to decide if Pakatan Harapan coalition can properly form next federal government with a parliamentary majority of at least 112 in 222-seat legislature.
REASON FOR CONFUSION:
Pakatan Harapan seats:
* PKR: 104 – but not all are PKR as symbol also used by other political parties DAP & Pribumi. Official breakdown yet to be announced
* DAP: 9 – tally to be combined with those who contested using PKR logo
* Warisan: 8
Barisan Nasional: 79
Solidariti: 1
Independents: 3
Based on tally above, it may seem BN (which has been officially registered as a coalition) may have the single largest parliamentary seat block – with either PKR or DAP coming in second in terms of total seats obtained. This results in a hung parliament, which requires a coalition to be formed to obtain simple majority.
Hence the need for the Agong to formally declare – as in democratic practice all over – if Pakatan Harapan (which has NOT been registered officially as a coalition) has qualified as with enough parliamentary seats as a coalition to form next federal government.
– Agencies
