DR Idris Ahmad has been named as the man to replace Mohamed Azmin Ali as Selangor menteri besar.

The Ijok assemblyman’s name was proposed in a letter from PKR president Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail to the Selangor ruler on Monday, two sources in the state Pakatan Harapan leadership told The Malaysian Insight.

The proposal was supported by letters from all state PH party heads – Izham Hashim (Amanah), Abdul Rashid Asari (Bersatu) and Tony Pua (DAP).

“The letters reached the sultan at 2.30pm on Monday,” said one of the sources.

The Selangor palace has scheduled the swearing-in of the new menteri besar on June 19 at Balairung Seri, Istana Alam Shah in Klang.

Azmin, who has been appointed as economic affairs minister, recently said it was possible that the new menteri besar would not be among the current exco line-up.

“We have 51 assemblymen in Selangor. The new MB may not be picked from among the excos.”

Dr Idris, who studied medicine in Australia and has been in practice since 1972, has been involved with PKR since its early days in 1998.

He joined the party in 1999 and headed the party’s Segambut branch in Kuala Lumpur.

He was picked to contest the Ijok state seat in 2013, as his family live in the constituency. He won by a slim majority of 739 votes.

During the Selangor menteri besar crisis, he was also named as a candidate to replace Abdul Khalid Ibrahim. He even had the support of Islamist party PAS.

In the May 9 polls, Dr Idris defended his seat by 2,114 votes, beating Barisan Nasional, PAS and Parti Rakyat Malaysia candidates. – June 8, 2018.