Malaysia’s Barisan Nasional alliance has chosen former deputy prime minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the bloc’s choice for prime minister, Ahmad Maslan, secretary general of the United Malays National Organisation said in a tweet.
“Only one name as prime minister candidate was sent by UMNO/BN MPs on 17/8/21 which is Ismail Sabri, MP for Bera,” he wrote on Wednesday. Ismail Sabri was deputy prime minister in former premier Muhyiddin Yassin’s coalition.
Lawmakers from the opposition Pakatan Harapan coalition are backing Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister, Fahmi Fadzil, communications director for the People’s Justice Party, told Bloomberg News. The Sabah-based Warisan party, which is not a part of the alliance, will either support Anwar as well or nominate its president Shafie Apdal for the post depending on which of the two gets the most votes, according to Astro Awani, citing Shafie.
Malaysia’s lawmakers must submit their choice for a leader to the palace by 4pm. local time Wednesday as the king searches for a successor to Muhyiddin Yassin, who resigned on Monday. Muhyiddin is staying on as a caretaker prime minister until a new leader is named.
The king is expected to meet with the nation’s other royal rulers at 2.30pm Friday to discuss the new prime minister candidates, the Star reported, without citing anyone. The meeting is important especially if the numbers are too narrow, the report said.
Under constitutional law, any lawmaker who can command a majority in parliament can stake a claim to form the government, and the king needs to give his assent to formalise the appointment.
UMNO Youth leader Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said he informed the party’s supreme council meeting last night that the prime minister candidate should not attempt to retain the structure of Muhyiddin’s cabinet. The new cabinet must work together with all political parties to tackle the pandemic and revive the country until an election is called, he wrote on Facebook.
