Anwar will be the 10th Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is on the verge of becoming Malaysia’s prime minister, while Umno’s Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan could also be named deputy prime minister in a unity government, which has been discussed since yesterday.
According to Malay Mail, among the proposals being put in place as part of a deal for Barisan Nasional (BN) to back Anwar’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) to lead the new government, Umno could also find itself snagging a number of key portfolios in the next Cabinet.
It is unclear whether Mohamad, or Tok Mat as he is affectionately known, will be the only deputy prime minister among the names proposed. The Agong has requested that a new government be inclusive, which could mean that Sarawak and Sabah parties are also appointed to important positions.
Malaysia is on the verge of forming a new government following a tense period of twists and turns since last Saturday’s general election resulted in a hung Parliament.
Late last night, Umno announced that it would support a unity government led by someone other than Perikatan Nasional (PN).
This morning, Anthony Loke of the DAP and Lim Guan Eng of the PH both publicly apologised to Sarawak and its premier, Tan Sri Abang Johari Openg, for previous statements that strained relations between the state’s ruling GPS and the PH.
The apologies are expected to pave the way for support from the Sarawak coalition. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah met his fellow rulers this morning for a special Council of Rulers meeting to brief them on the political impasse.
The Agong had given political parties until Tuesday at 2 p.m. to demonstrate that they had a majority to form a government and name a prime minister candidate.
However, by the time they were summoned for an audience with the Agong on Tuesday evening, neither Anwar’s PH nor Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s PN could demonstrate they had a simple majority in the Dewan Rakyat — that is, at least 112 MPs out of 222 —
