KOTA Tampan assemblyman Saarani Mohamad will be sworn in as Perak menteri besar at Istana Iskandariah, Kuala Kangsar at 5.30pm today.

The matter was confirmed by Perak Dewan Negara member Mohd Annuar Zaini after state leaders of respective parties had an audience with the Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah at Istana Kinta this afternoon.

He said Saarani, who represented Barisan Nasional (BN) and together with Perak DAP vice-chairman Dr Aziz Bari, who represented Pakatan Harapan (PH), told Sultan Nazrin that both parties agreed to form a state government after the coalition obtained 33 seats.

Annuar said Perikatan Nasional (PN), which was represented by state PAS commissioner Razman Zakaria and Bersatu secretary Zainol Fadzi Paharudin said that they do not have the numbers to form a government because they only have 26 seats.

“His Royal Highness was satisfied with what was presented by the representatives from BN and PH, who only named one candidate as menteri besar, Kota Tampan (assemblyman) Saarani,” he told reporters outside Istana Kinta.

The results of the 15th general election saw PN winning 26 seats while PH took 24 seats and nine were won by BN.

Before this, the Perak government was formed with the coalition of three parties – BN, Bersatu and PAS.

Saarani, who is the Perak BN and Perak Umno chairman, has been the Kota Tampan assemblyman since 2004 and was appointed as the 14th menteri besar of Perak on December 10, 2020.

He has served as the opposition leader in the Perak assembly from 2018 to 2020. – Bernama, November 21, 2022.