GE15: Settling the impasse, Agong summons both PH and PN leaders

SHAH ALAM - Party leaders from both Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) have been summoned by the Yang diPertuan Agong for an audience at 4.30 PM at Istana Negara today in order to resolve the ongoing post-election deadlock.

In a statement issued by Royal Comptroller, Datuk Seri Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, the summoning was due to the Agong having ascertained that none of the Prime Minister candidates from both PH and PN have enough majority support to be appointed to said post.

"His Royal Highness also implored on and advised Malaysians to be calm and collected until the process of forming the next government and the appointment of Malaysia's 10th Prime Minister are resolved," read the statement.

Malaysia has been stuck in a political deadlock for the past two days after none of the parties which stood in the 15th General Election (GE15) has secured enough seats to form the governmnent.

For the record, Pakatan Harapan (PH) has won the most seats at 82, followed by Perikatan Nasional (PN): 73; Barisan Nasional (BN): 30; Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS): 22; Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS): 7 and others: 6.

The stalemate occurred as parties needed to at least secure 112 parliamentary seats to form government as Malaysia has a total of 222 parliamentary seats.

Due to the impasse, the number one leaders in both PH and PN; Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, respectively; have been negotiating with rival party, BN, in a bid to woo support to form government.

While BN chairman, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had initially seemed receptive of Anwar’s sales pitch of forming a unity government with PH, the offer was effectively declined by BN after its supreme council decided to support neither PH nor PN.

"BN has agreed to remain as the opposition," tweeted BN supreme council member Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

In an ensuing statement, succeeding Ismail Sabri's tweet, BN secretary-general Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir announced that the coalition has already communicated their decision to support neither PH nor PN over the matter to the Agong, Sultan Abdullah.