BERSATU president Muhyiddin Yassin has instructed the party’s MPs to back Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the next prime minister, Malaysiakini reports.

The portal quoted supreme council member Eddin Syazlee Shith who said that this was the “instruction given to us by our president”.

On Monday, Muhyiddin resigned and Perikatan Nasional (PN) MPs gave him the mandate to decide on their behalf who should succeed him.

According to another Bersatu supreme council member, Muhammad Faiz Na’aman, Muhyiddin will make an official announcement on PN’s choice this evening.

Until then, all Bersatu leaders have been told to keep mum and let the president make the announcement, Faiz was quoted saying by Free Malaysia Today.

The Dewan Rakyat’s 220 MPs have until 4pm today to send in their statutory declarations to Istana Negara naming their preferred choice for prime minister.

Hours ago, the palace said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah would be using the declarations to guide him in appointing the country’s ninth prime minister, and would also discuss the matter at a meeting of the Conference of Rulers this Friday.

PAS, which is part of the PN coalition, earlier today said all its MPs would also back Ismail Sabri.

Ismail Sabri was endorsed by the Umno Supreme Council last night as its choice, after the 15 Umno MPs led by president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi closed ranks with those in Ismail Sabri’s faction.

The two sides were previously split over who to nominate.

With the support from within his party, Ismail Sabri is currently the frontrunner in the race for the top job. – August 18, 2021.