Malaysia's king asks parties to cobble up 'strong' gov't, no premier in sight yet

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Malaysian king asked political parties on Tuesday to form a "strong" government, said Anwar Ibrahim, whose Alliance of Hope has secured most seats in parliament but short of forming a govt of its own.

“It was Agong's (king) desire to form a strong government that is more inclusive in terms of race, religion or region that would allow the government to focus on resolving problems… and resuscitate our economy,” Ibrahim, 75, told reporters after meeting King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia held its 15th general election over the weekend, resulting in a hung parliament, with Alliance of Hope, or Pakatan Harapan (PH), securing support of almost 86 seats in the 222-member lower house.

Malaysia has a hung parliament for the first time in its 59-year history following the Nov. 19 general elections.

Earlier in the day, Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin were summoned to the palace for an audience with the king, who, according to the Malaysian constitution, has final decision-making authority over the establishment of the new administration.

Yassin left the palace without speaking to reporters.

When asked if there was any timeline to form the government, Ibrahim responded in negative.

“There is no question for forming a minority government, nor is there is any timeline to form the government. We will seek honorable king’s advice and accept the decision,” he said, adding that parties will wait for the final decision “which is of course discretion of the king.”

“There is no decision on (who will the prime minister) … it is open for application,” he added.

A party or coalition needs the support of at least 112 lawmakers to form the government.

The king has invited 30 members of the National Front, or Barisan Nasional (BN) on Wednesday morning.

"So far, BN has agreed to remain as the opposition," BN leader and former Prime Minister Ismail Sabri said earlier today.

Support of the BN lawmakers is expected to decide about who is elected as 10th prime minister of Malaysia to lead a the new government.

The other bloc, the National Alliance, or Perikatan Nasional (PN), which is led by Yassin, who resigned as prime minister on Monday, has 51 seats and is supported by the Malaysian Islamic Party, or Parti Islam Se Malaysia (PAS), which has 22 seats.