Malaysia's political slugfest drags on as coalitions race to reach the 'majority' number

The conundrum surrounding who will form the federal government in Malaysia ceases to end after the weekend elections delivered a hung assembly.

The royal palace on Monday extended the deadline for the Muhyiddin Yassin and Anwar Ibrahim factions to garner more support and stake a claim to form the government by Tuesday.

While King Al-Sultan Abdullah has a rather ceremonial role to play in the electoral choices, he has the power to appoint any lawmaker that he believes can amass the required majority.

Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) are the two parties that can form the next government after winning 81 and 73 seats respectively. However, both are way short of the majority mark of 112.

The political slugfest has continued even when the former prime minister and PN chairman Muhyiddin Yassin on Sunday suggested he had secured backing from two political blocs.

"I am confident I will obtain enough support from lawmakers that will enable me to be appointed by the king as prime minister," said Yassin while hinting that Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) could be the other collaborators.

Meanwhile, longtime opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, whose PH coalition won the most seats in the election said that had managed to receive the support of lawmakers to form the government.

However, unlike Yassin, Ibrahim did not disclose the parties he had assimilated into his coalition. Media reports suggest thatAnwar's coalition will be meeting with the BarisanNasional alliance to hammer out a deal today.

The political instability in the southeast Asian nation is the reason why three different prime ministers have occupied the position in as many years.

The pandemic coupled with rising inflation and global economic slowdown hasonly added to the country's politicaluncertainty.

(With inputs from agencies)

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