THE Penang state assembly will be officially dissolved tomorrow to pave the way for elections.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow said he had obtained the consent of Yang di-Pertua Negeri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak on the proposed date during an audience at Seri Mutiara, the governor’s official residence earlier today.

“This morning, I obtained the consent of the Yang di-Pertua Negeri to sign the proclamation of the dissolution of the Penang assembly to pave the way for state polls.

“I am relieved that this is over, so we can now look forward to preparing for the state elections with the date to be determined by the Election Commission,” he told reporters in George Town.

Chow arrived at Seri Mutiara for an audience with Fuzi at 7.55am.

Chow, who is also state Pakatan Harapan (PH) chairman, is scheduled to hold a press conference at 2.30pm today.

The Penang assembly held its first meeting on August 1, 2018, after the 2018 general election, and its five-year mandate expires on August 2.

In the last general election, PH won 37 of the 40 state seats including two secured by Bersatu representatives when they were with the coalition, while Barisan Nasional (BN) obtained two, and PAS, one.

In February 2020, Bersatu announced they were quitting PH and joining Perikatan Nasional, and the two representatives – Khaliq Mehtab Mohd Ishaq (Bertam) and Zolkifli Md Lazim (Teluk Bahang) withdrew their support for the PH-led state government.

The crisis in PKR also saw two of its assemblymen sacked – Dr Afif Bahardin (Seberang Jaya) and  Zulkifli Ibrahim (Sungai Acheh).

The latest composition of the state assembly sees PH holding 33 seats, followed by BN (2), Bersatu (4), and PAS (1). – Bernama, June 27, 2023.