PARTI Warisan Sabah and the United Progressive Kinabalu Organisation (Upko) have thrown their support behind Dr Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister, increasing Pakatan Harapan’s chances of forming a new federal government.

With the announcements, the Sabah parties are is expected to add 10 MPs (nine from Warisan and one from Upko) to the 95 PH currently has in its corner.

Dr Mahathir was announced as PH’s choice for prime minister today and the coalition is presenting its case to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.

Warisan’s stand was announced today by party secretary-general Loretto Padua in a brief statement to the media while the announcement from Upko was made by its president Wilfred Madius Tangau.

Warisan president Mohd Shafie Apdal had earlier in the week pledged the party’s support for Dr Mahathir.

The 94-year was chosen once again by Pakatan to be its prime minister following a rival bid by Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin to forge a government with Umno, PAS, MCA and MIC.

Muhyiddin announced his intention to do so yesterday and said he would also be backed by parties from Sabah and Sarawak.

Going by Muhyiddin’s earlier announcement, the former home minister would then have 96 seats.

But this tally is expected to change today as a leadership tussle has broken out between Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin for control of Bersatu, which in total has 36 MPs.

The Malay party, which left the PH coalition on February 23, originally has 26 MPs. Their numbers swelled following a defection of 10 MPs from PKR into Bersatu.

Malaysia has been without a functioning government for five days after Bersatu and the 10 PKR MPs left PH, triggering the collapse of the 22-month administration. – February 29, 2020.