PENANG Bersatu chairman Marzuki Yahya is up for a senatorship.

He said he had been been unofficially informed of his nomination to the Dewan Negara.

“It is a federal nomination. There is (nothing in) black and white yet but I had been notified by the leadership of the senatorship.

“I don’t know when the senators will be appointed. That is up to the prime minister,” he told reporters at the Penang Bersatu Raya open house in Sungai Dua, Tasek Gelugor tonight.

The Dewan Negara is the upper house in Parliament, consisting of 70 senators, of whom 26 are elected by each of the 13 state legislative assemblies in Malaysia. The other 44, including four to represent the federal territories, are appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Marzuki, 48, contested for the Tasek Gelugor parliamentary seat in the 14th general election and lost to the Barisan Nasional incumbent by only 81 votes.

His request for a recount was denied on polling day, leading him to file a petition to challenge the result last month.

“The case management was last week. But the Election Commission has not appointed a lawyer so the court fixed July 20 for the next case management.

“It will likely proceed to a hearing,” he said. – July 12, 2018.