Mahathir confirms no candidate has majority as PM, Parliament to decide at next sitting

PUTRAJAYA, Feb 27, 2020, The Straits Times. Malaysia’s interim Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has revealed that no candidate has been able to gain the majority support of Malaysia’s 222 MPs, and hence, the matter will be referred to Parliament, The Straits Times reported.

Tun Dr Mahathir told reporters on Thursday (Feb 27) evening after his audience with the King that a special parliamentary session would be held on March 2 to deal with the issue.

“The King has asked all MPs to make a statement… in front of him. The result is that he can’t find anyone with a distinct majority. Since there isn’t a distinct majority, he says the right forum would be the Dewan Rakyat,” he said, referring to Parliament’s House of Representatives.

However, should a vote of confidence in Parliament not yield a definitive result, elections will be called.

“If the Dewan Rakyat fails to find a person with a majority, we would have to go for a snap election,” Dr Mahathir said. “If somebody gets a majority (in Parliament) and he becomes candidate for prime minister then he is in position to choose members of his Cabinet. He can choose any member that would not be tied to any particular party.

“It would be a unity government because all parties have representatives in the Cabinet but other people can be co-opted to be ministers in Cabinet,” he added, making reference to his previous call for a non-partisan unity government.

A WEEKEND OF JOSTLING

The apparent failure of any candidate to secure the support of a majority of MPs during the survey conducted by the King sets the stage for a weekend of intense jostling and horse-trading.

Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin had summoned all MPs to the palace, meeting each one in turn to determine if any person commanded the support of at least 111 lawmakers. The Prime Minister plus 111 constitutes a simple majority in the 222-member Lower House of Parliament.

The King stepped in after defections led to the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition government on Monday. Dr Mahathir had also resigned as PM and chairman of the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) party, only to be reappointed by the King as interim PM. Bersatu is one of the component parties in the PH coalition government.

As it stands, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, the leader of Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), the largest party in the PH coalition, appears to be closest to reaching the magic number. If he continues to hold the support of all remaining members of PH, he would have 92 votes, 19 short of the needed number.

The PH coalition announced on Wednesday that it would throw its support behind Mr Anwar as its prime minister of choice. This marked a U-turn from Monday’s announcement that the alliance was supporting Dr Mahathir.

Dr Mahathir is reported to have the support of up to 64, 26 from his Bersatu party, with the rest coming from parties in East Malaysia and former PKR deputy president Azmin Ali’s breakaway faction.

There are 66 others who have not declared their allegiances or appear to support either man, including the opposition Barisan Nasional bloc led by Umno and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).

If unconfirmed reports of three members from Datuk Seri Azmin’s faction returning to PH are true, it would alter the balance slightly.

INCOMPATIBLE PARTNERS

Political parties from both sides have declared an unwillingness to work with one another and Dr Mahathir himself said during his televised address on Wednesday that he does not want a coalition dominated by his former party Umno – even though his party lieutenant in Bersatu, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, feels differently.

“My position is I will not accept Umno as a component party. I would accept members who joined, not identified by Umno, I’ll accept them. But Muhyiddin is a little bit more relaxed on that, he’s quite prepared to accept them as a comrade,” Dr Mahathir said at a press conference to announce a financial stimulus package.

On his meeting earlier with Mr Muhyiddin: “There are various possibilities we’ve discussed, including the possibility that Muhyiddin might become a candidate (for PM). If everybody chooses him, I’m okay.

“I will not be prime minister if I’m not named as candidate,” he said.

Dr Mahathir has not entirely struck out any working relationship with PH despite the breakup.

Asked if he would consider rejoining hands with PH, he said: “If it is a unity government, members can come from the parties but they’ll come as individuals and not looked upon as representing their parties.”