A NEW state government in Perak is nowhere in sight as Perak’s ruler Sultan Nazrin Shah remains unconvinced that any party has majority support in the state legislative assembly, local media quoted a palace official as saying.

Dewan Negara Perak member Mohd Annuar Zaini told reporters that party leaders who were summoned to the palace to meet Sultan Nazrin have not been able to convince the ruler.

“No one was able to convince the sultan that they have a simple majority, we will wait until they are ready to be able to convince the sultan on the matter,” he was quoted as saying outside Istana Kinta.

The ruler today had an audience with representatives from Umno and Perak Pakatan Harapan.

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who was granted an audience, said he had presented the ruler with the name of the party’s candidate for menteri besar, but did not name the lawmaker.

PAS, meanwhile, called off its appointment with the ruler on the order of the party’s leadership.

Bersatu has also reportedly been summoned.

The menteri besar post fell vacant after Bersatu’s Ahmad Faizal Azumu resigned after losing a vote of confidence in the state assembly on Friday. The motion was filed by a Barisan Nasional lawmaker.

Thirty is the simple majority in the 59-seat Perak state assembly made up of Barisan Nasional (25), DAP (16), Amanah (5), Bersatu (5), PKR (3), PAS (3), Gerakan (1) and independent (1). – December 8, 2020.