KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 21 — With Istana Negara having issued an extension to a 2pm deadline for the submission of statutory declarations (SDs) for any coalition to form the federal government and nominate a prime minister, Perikatan Nasional (PN) announced today it has duly submitted the SDs of more than 112 MPs.
PN secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the SDs outlined the signatories’ support for PN chairman Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin as the prime minister candidate.
“The total number of SDs submitted is more than 112, that is the number needed for a simple majority in the Dewan Rakyat for the appointment of a prime minister under Article 43 of the Federal Constitution,” he said in a brief statement without elaborating further.
Leaders from Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) and Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) held a meeting with the PN chairman yesterday.
Muhyiddin said in a statement that GPS and GRS had agreed to nominate him as the prime minister.
GPS and GRS share 28 seats between them, while Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional has 73.
It is unclear if the new government would involve Barisan Nasional (BN).
Muhyiddin did not explicitly state if the coalition government he had cobbled together would feature BN lawmakers.
BN chairman Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today said the coalition has yet to decide who to support or which party to form the next federal government with
Still, PN would need at least 11 MPs from BN in their fold to form a simple majority.
No coalition won enough seats — 112 from 222 — to form the next government after Saturday’s general election, the first time in the country’s history.
