Malaysian Parties Haggle To Form Coalition Gov't

Malaysia's longest-ruling coalition said Monday it has not decided which bloc to support after weekend elections left neither with enough seats to form a government on its own, and it would ask the nation's king to give it more time, Eileen Ng reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah initially set a 2 p.m. deadline for political leaders to submit their choice for prime minister and an alliance that represents a parliamentary majority.

The National Front's announcement has prolonged election uncertainty. King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah initially set a 2 p.m. deadline for political leaders to submit their choice for prime minister and an alliance that represents a parliamentary majority.

But the monarch later Monday said he would extend it until Tuesday following a request from political parties. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist bloc secured 82 seats in the federal Parliament, far short of the 112 needed for a simple majority.

The Malay nationalist alliance led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin trailed with 73 seats, but it has secured the support of blocs in two states on Borneo island that jointly have 28 seats, Nikkei Asia also reported.

The National Front, led by the United Malays National Organization, had ruled since Malaysia’s independence from Britain in 1957 but suffered s shocking defeat in 2018 polls to Anwar's bloc.

Its plan for a strong comeback was dashed after winning only 30 seats in Saturday's election as many ethnic Malays abandoned the graft-tainted party for Muhyiddin's bloc. UMNO President Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said his alliance formed a negotiation committee to hold talks with both blocs.

Amid a divisive split in his party, he said any individual statement or written oaths made by the group's 30 lawmakers supporting any bloc was invalid because a decision will only be made by the coalition's highest decision-making body. Anyone going against it can be sacked, he warned.

Zahid, who faces dozens of graft charges, is facing a revolt within his party amid growing calls for him to resign and take responsibility for the election losses. Some lawmakers who won have openly voiced their support for Muhyiddin's bloc but others warned reviving such a partnership may lead to a repeat of the infighting that led to political turmoil.

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