Al Jazeera News :
Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah will not be granting an audience to anyone for a week as he is under observation in hospital, a palace official said on Friday, as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim seeks a meeting with him to form a new government.
Anwar said this week he has secured a “strong, formidable” majority from lawmakers in parliament to remove Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
But he has to convince the king that he has the numbers to form a government.
The political turmoil comes just seven months after another power struggle that led to Muhyiddin getting the premiership and could delay efforts to stabilise an economy that is reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Muhyiddin, who has a razor-thin majority in parliament, has dismissed Anwar’s claims of a majority and challenged him to prove it through a constitutional process.
The king plays a largely ceremonial role in Malaysia but he could appoint a prime minister who, in his view, is likely to command a majority in parliament. He could also dissolve parliament and trigger elections on the premier’s advice.
“His Majesty has been advised by his doctors to remain at (hospital) for seven days for observation. So until then, he will not have any meetings,” palace comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin told Reuters.
Malaysia’s King Sultan Abdullah will not be granting an audience to anyone for a week as he is under observation in hospital, a palace official said on Friday, as opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim seeks a meeting with him to form a new government.
Anwar said this week he has secured a “strong, formidable” majority from lawmakers in parliament to remove Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
But he has to convince the king that he has the numbers to form a government.
The political turmoil comes just seven months after another power struggle that led to Muhyiddin getting the premiership and could delay efforts to stabilise an economy that is reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Muhyiddin, who has a razor-thin majority in parliament, has dismissed Anwar’s claims of a majority and challenged him to prove it through a constitutional process.
The king plays a largely ceremonial role in Malaysia but he could appoint a prime minister who, in his view, is likely to command a majority in parliament. He could also dissolve parliament and trigger elections on the premier’s advice.
“His Majesty has been advised by his doctors to remain at (hospital) for seven days for observation. So until then, he will not have any meetings,” palace comptroller Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin told Reuters.
