Malaysia ex-PM Muhyiddin gains backing after indecisive election

Palace instructs parties to present the name of lawmaker it thinks has majority

Malaysia’s former premier Muhyiddin Yassin secured backing from two political blocs yesterday as he sought to form a new government after a general election produced a hung parliament, but he had yet to win the required majority.

Muhyiddin, of the Perikatan Nasional coalition, said he had won support from two regional blocs based in the island of Borneo. That would boost his alliance’s seat tally from 73 to 101 — still short of the required 112 majority.

“I am confident I will obtain enough support from lawmakers that will enable me to be appointed by the king as Prime Minister,” he said, without saying which other parties might back him.

Longtime opposition leader Anwar Ebrahim, whose Pakatan Harapan coalition won the most number of seats in the election with 82, is also racing to win support from other groups. The inconclusive election saw Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob’s Barisan Nasional alliance suffer its worst electoral defeat ever, winning just 30 of the 178 seats it ran for.

Forming a government may require the involvement of Malaysia’s king, whose largely ceremonial role includes the power to appoint as prime minister a lawmaker he believes will command a majority.

Yesterday, the palace instructed the parties to each present the name of a lawmaker it thinks has majority by 2pm tomorrow.

A record number of Malaysians voted on Saturday, and they rejected Ismail’s multiethnic Barisan coalition, led by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) which has long been the country’s dominant political force.

I am confident I will obtain enough support from lawmakers that will enable me to be appointed by the king as Prime Minister.”

Muhyiddin Yassi | Malaysia’s former PM