KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s king will meet all political party leaders before he selects the leader of the country.
Recent interviews between the palace and MPs have failed to break the deadlock, with no majority preference for any candidate.
In a statement, the monarch Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah said that he “does not have the full confidence regarding one MP that is able to get the command of confidence by the majority of the Malaysian MPs to form a new government.”
The interviews started on Tuesday, following the resignation of Prime Minister Mohamad and his swift appointment as interim prime minister.
While the king’s role is largely ceremonial, he appoints the MP with majority support to become prime minister. The appointment is preceded by a consultation with other members of the Conference of Rulers, which comprises nine sultans who are appointed as Malaysia’s king on a rotational basis.
In a move seen as an encroachment of the king’s power, Mahathir on Thursday announced that the parliament will hold a meeting to debate who should become the next prime minister on Monday.
“If the lower house fails to find a person with the majority, then we will have to go for a snap election,” he told reporters.
In response to the announcement, the speaker of the lower house of parliament said there will be “no special parliament meeting” and any notification for such a sitting is to be issued by him.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Despite his largely ceremonial role, the king appoints the MP with majority support in parliament.
• Parliament speaker rejects Mahathir’s order to hold a special sitting.
The political upheaval, revolving mainly around Mahathir and his anointed successor Anwar Ibrahim, has witnessed a failed political coup by factions within the ruling Alliance of Hope and the opposition National Front (BN) last weekend.
Alliance parties have expressed their support for Anwar, while BN and Mahathir’s Berastu have pledged to support Muhyiddin Yassin, the former home minister and Berastu leader.
Political analyst James Chin from Tasmania University’s Asia Institute told Arab News that the current crisis reflects “the same old politics of BN versus the Alliance.”
He added: “Mahathir and Muhyiddin must come into an agreement because if they split the vote, they will lose against Anwar.
Pressure is also mounting on the ethnic minority Borneo-based Sabah Heritage Party and the Gabungan Parti Sarawak, whose votes could be decisive for the next premier.
Analysts view them as the “missing link” to the formation of Malaysia’s new government.
“Both sides still need the support of ethnic minority representatives to form the next government,” said Adib Zalkapli, director of BowerGroupAsia.
