AFTER an audience with political party leaders from Perikatan Nasional, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong is now meeting the leaders of Pakatan Harapan parties DAP and Amanah.

Vehicles carrying DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, Amanah vice-president Mujahid Yusof Rawa and strategy director Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad were seen entering Gate 2 of Istana Negara at 11.47am.

They arrived hot on the heels of Amanah president Mohamed Sabu, who had just left the palace at 11.30am.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim arrived at the palace at 1.30pm, coming from the Eastin Hotel where some of the party’s leaders have been huddled since morning. He left at 1.41pm.

Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah has summoned party leaders to nominate their prime minister candidate, after his personal interview with MPs failed to yield a candidate with a majority.

In the last 24 hours, alliances have shifted, from Muhyiddin Yassin v Anwar Ibrahim to Muhyiddin v Dr Mahathir Mohamad this morning.

Until yesterday, Muhyiddin was confident of the support of 97 MPs.

Thirty-six of them were from Bersatu, and this includes former PKR MPs on Mohamed Azmin Ali’s team; 39 from Umno; 18 PAS; two MCA;  and one each MIC and PBRS.

But Bersatu is now split over support for its president Muhyiddin to be prime minister.

In an unexpected twist, Bersatu chairman Dr Mahathir said this morning that he once more had the numbers to be PM after a meeting with Pakatan Harapan leaders, who simultaneously issued a statement backing his claim.

Dr Mahathir said he had never signed a statutory declaration supporting Muhyiddin for PM, and that he had conveyed this to the Bersatu MPs.

Bersatu youth chief Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman also said he had not signed such a document in support of the party president,  throwing his support behind Dr Mahathir instead.

PKR president Anwar Ibrahim, meanwhile, has the backing of 93 MPs, all of whom are from PH.

Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), which has 18 MPs, is to announce its stand today, while Parti Warisan Sabah’s nine and Upko’s one MPs, who were previously aligned with the old PH government, have yet to say which way they will swing, – February 29, 2020.