LEADERS of political parties will be invited to Istana Negara to nominate their prime ministerial candidate, the palace said in a statement today.

The statement also said the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was not satisfied that any of the nominated candidates has majority support in Dewan Rakyat after interviewing members of Parliament on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The statement did not say when the leaders will be summoned to have an audience with the king.

The statement was issued by Comptroller of the Royal Household Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin.

Fadil also said the Agong has consented to the decision by Dewan Rakyat speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof not to hold a special sitting on Monday despite a request to do so by interim prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

“The Agong will continue to find a solution based on the federal constitution for the sake of the people and the nation,” said Faid.

Earlier today Ariff said the request to hold a special sitting did not contain the complete motions of Parliament as required under standing order 11(3).

“I am also of the view that the need to hold a special session of the Dewan Rakyat should be done after getting an official notice from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong concerning the process of choosing a prime minister,” he said in a statement.

The special Dewan Rakyat meeting was requested by Dr Mahathir to break the political impasse after the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government collapsed from the defection of 35 MPs on Sunday.

Currently, no single party or individual commands majority support in the 222-seat Dewan Rakyat in order to form the government or be appointed the prime minister.

Dr Mahathir said the special sitting will determine who enjoys majority support to be prime minister, failing which snap elections will be called.

The speaker also had an audience with the Agong twice in a spate of a couple of hours today.

The Agong also met with his fellow Malay rulers to discuss the situation this morning. He had also summoned the police chief and the army chief for a meeting.

While PH has named Anwar Ibrahim as its prime minister candidate, Bersatu has opted for its president Muhyiddin Yassin.

Until yesterday Bersatu, an independent bloc led by sacked PKR deputy president Mohamed Azmin Ali, Sarawak ruling pact GPS, and Sabah’s Warisan had said they support Dr Mahathir to remain as the prime minister.

Both Barisan Nasional and PAS have opted for snap polls. – February 28, 2020.