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<p>The weekend elections in Malaysia delivered a hung assembly. The political parties soon found themselves trying to manufacture coalitions to reach the magical majority mark of 112. However, King Al-Sultan Abdullah on Tuesday said he will pick the next prime minister after the warring parties could not break the deadlock.&nbsp;</p>

<p>After the failure of coalition talks, the king's role in the formation of the next federal government has taken the centre stage. But who is the king and what role does he play in Malaysia's unique constitutional monarchy system?&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-east-asia/let-me-take-a-decision-soon-malaysia-king-to-call-the-shots-after-stalemate-election-536510" target="_blank"><strong>Read more: 'Let me take a decision soon': Malaysia King to call the shots after stalemate election</strong></a></p>

<p><strong>Who is Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah?</strong></p>

<p>King Al-Sultan Abdullah is Malaysia's 16th monarch and ascended the throne in 2019 at the age of 59.</p>

<p>He belongs to one of the royal families of the nine states which picks the king every five years — a system that was agreed upon in 1957 when Malaysia gained independence from the British colonialists.</p>

<p>King Al-Sultan Abdullah is the ruler of the state of Pahang which is situated on Malaysia's east coast. As a king,&nbsp;Al-Sultan Abdullah is the head of the state and the commander of the armed forces. More&nbsp;importantly, he oversees key federal appointments, including the post of prime minister.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Is the Malaysian king always the kingmaker?</strong></p>

<p>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.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rarely has a Malaysian king ever used this power to conjure a government and a prime minister. However, the political instability in the last three years has prompted&nbsp;the silver-haired Al-Sultan Abdullah to step up and call the shots.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/malaysia-faces-hung-parliament-for-first-time-in-history-after-tight-election-race-535805" target="_blank"><strong>WATCH | Malaysia faces hung Parliament for first time in history after tight election race</strong></a></p>

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<p>In February 2020, he appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as the PM after Mahathir Mohamad was forced to resign following a bitter coalition infighting.</p>

<p>A year later, the king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the new PM after asking the country's lawmakers to submit their preferred choice as the PM in a letter.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On Tuesday, after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former PM Muhyiddin Yassin could not gather the numbers, Al-Sultan Abdullah told reporters, "Let me make a decision soon."</p>

<p>The King proposed the formation of a 'unity government', a proposal that was subsequently turned down by Muhyiddin.</p>

<p>As many as 30 lawmakers from the Barisan Nasional alliance have been summoned by the monarch to meet him on Wednesday to determine who becomes the next PM.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The last three years have been rather turbulent for Malaysia's political class and ordinary citizens. Rising inflation and global economic slowdown have only added to the woes and thus all eyes will be on&nbsp;Al-Sultan Abdullah to pick a candidate that can last the complete tenure.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>

<p><strong>WATCH WION LIVE HERE:&nbsp;</strong></p>

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The weekend elections in Malaysia delivered a hung assembly. The political parties soon found themselves trying to manufacture coalitions to reach the magical majority mark of 112.

The weekend elections in Malaysia delivered a hung assembly. The political parties soon found themselves trying to manufacture coalitions to reach the magical majority mark of 112. However, King Al-Sultan Abdullah on Tuesday said he will pick the next prime minister after the warring parties could not break the deadlock. After the failure of coalition talks, the king's role in the formation of the next federal government has taken the centre stage. But who is the king and what role does he play in Malaysia's unique constitutional monarchy system? Read more: 'Let me take a decision soon': Malaysia King to call the shots after stalemate election Who is Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah? King Al-Sultan Abdullah is Malaysia's 16th monarch and ascended the throne in 2019 at the age of 59. He belongs to one of the royal families of the nine states which picks the king every five years — a system that was agreed upon in 1957 when Malaysia gained independence from the British colonialists. King Al-Sultan Abdullah is the ruler of the state of Pahang which is situated on Malaysia's east coast. As a king, Al-Sultan Abdullah is the head of the state and the commander of the armed forces. More importantly, he oversees key federal appointments, including the post of prime minister. Is the Malaysian king always the kingmaker? 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. Rarely has a Malaysian king ever used this power to conjure a government and a prime minister. However, the political instability in the last three years has prompted the silver-haired Al-Sultan Abdullah to step up and call the shots. WATCH | Malaysia faces hung Parliament for first time in history after tight election race × In February 2020, he appointed Muhyiddin Yassin as the PM after Mahathir Mohamad was forced to resign following a bitter coalition infighting. A year later, the king appointed Ismail Sabri Yaakob as the new PM after asking the country's lawmakers to submit their preferred choice as the PM in a letter. On Tuesday, after opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former PM Muhyiddin Yassin could not gather the numbers, Al-Sultan Abdullah told reporters, "Let me make a decision soon." The King proposed the formation of a 'unity government', a proposal that was subsequently turned down by Muhyiddin. As many as 30 lawmakers from the Barisan Nasional alliance have been summoned by the monarch to meet him on Wednesday to determine who becomes the next PM. The last three years have been rather turbulent for Malaysia's political class and ordinary citizens. Rising inflation and global economic slowdown have only added to the woes and thus all eyes will be on Al-Sultan Abdullah to pick a candidate that can last the complete tenure. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Who is Malaysia’s king, set to play key role in selection of next Malaysian PM?

Malaysia finds itself in fresh political turmoil after tightly contested general elections delivered a hung parliament for the first time

Malaysia faces political turmoil as poll delivers hung parliament

Malaysia finds itself in fresh political turmoil after tightly contested general elections led to a hung parliament for the first time in its history.

Malaysia faces hung Parliament for first time in history after tight election race

<p>Malaysians began to vote in country's general elections on Saturday after four years of political instability in Kuala Lumpur's power corridors. Three prime ministers have governed the Southeast Asian nation after last election was fought on the issue of corruption four years ago. Pollsters have predicted a close contest between long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and blocs led by current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former PM Muhyiddin Yassin.</p>

<p>In a staunchly battled out election campaign, issues such as corruption, climate change and the state of economy due to effects of COVID-19 pandemic remained key highlights prior to Saturday's polling.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/malaysia-15th-general-elections-polling-station-opens-race-between-three-major-coalitions-535472">Malaysia 15th General Elections: Polling station opens; race between three major coalitions</a></strong></p>

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<p>The politics in Malaysia has been dominated by the 2015 1MDB corruption scandal, which reportedly led to billions of dollars being embezzled out of the country. The scandal led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Najib Rajak, who is now facing a 12-year prison sentence for corruption.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Frontrunners</strong></p>

<p>Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who came to power last year, is aiming to win a stronger mandate. However, he is seen to be losing the popularity contest to Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.</p>

<p>Pollsters say that there is strong support for former deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition.</p>

<p>Mahathir Mohamad, who has served as Malaysian Prime Minister cumulatively for 24 years, too is seeking re-election. The 97-year-old veteran leader, was ousted as Prime Minister by his own party two years ago after becoming the country’s leader for a second time in 2018.</p>

<p>Mahathir Mohamad will defend his stronghold seat in the resort island of Langkawi with his newly formed ethnic Malay alliance Gerakan Tanah Air, or Homeland Movement. While he is expected to win his own support, pollsters say he is unlikely to return as prime minister.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/malaysias-15th-general-elections-222-parliament-seats-up-for-grabs-534966">Malaysia's 15th General Elections: 222 Parliament seats up for grabs</a></strong></p>

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<p>Nearly 1,000 candidates will be vying for 222 seats in Parliament.</p>

<p><strong>Anwar Ibrahim top PM choice: Pollster</strong></p>

<p>Selangor-based Merdeka Center predicted on Friday that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist Pakatan Harapan coalition was on course to take 82 seats, Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance, gaining momentum among Malays at 43 seats, Ismail’s Barisan at 15 but 45 too close to call.</p>

<p>Anwar was the top choice for prime minister at 33 per cent, followed by Muhyiddin at 26 per cent and Ismail at 17 per cent, according to Merdeka Center.</p>

<p>Anwar last came close to being Prime Minister in 2020 but a power struggle in his coalition denied him the chance. His more than two decades as an opposition figure have included nine years in jail for sodomy and corruption, charges he says were politically motivated.</p>

<p>He was released from prison in 2018 after joining with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, both his mentor and long-time rival, to defeat Barisan Party for the first time in Malaysia’s history amid public anger at the government over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.</p>

<p>That coalition collapsed after 22 months in power due to infighting over a promise by Mahathir to hand the premiership to Anwar. Muhyiddin briefly became Prime Minister&nbsp;but his administration collapsed last year, paving the way for Barisan Party's return to power with Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the helm.</p>

<p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>

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Malaysians began to vote in country's general elections on Saturday after four years of political instability in Kuala Lumpur's power corridors. Three prime ministers have governed the Southeast Asian nation after last election was fought on the issue of corruption four years ago.

Malaysians began to vote in country's general elections on Saturday after four years of political instability in Kuala Lumpur's power corridors. Three prime ministers have governed the Southeast Asian nation after last election was fought on the issue of corruption four years ago. Pollsters have predicted a close contest between long-time opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and blocs led by current Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and former PM Muhyiddin Yassin. In a staunchly battled out election campaign, issues such as corruption, climate change and the state of economy due to effects of COVID-19 pandemic remained key highlights prior to Saturday's polling. WATCH | Malaysia 15th General Elections: Polling station opens; race between three major coalitions × The politics in Malaysia has been dominated by the 2015 1MDB corruption scandal, which reportedly led to billions of dollars being embezzled out of the country. The scandal led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Najib Rajak, who is now facing a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. Frontrunners Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who came to power last year, is aiming to win a stronger mandate. However, he is seen to be losing the popularity contest to Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. Pollsters say that there is strong support for former deputy Prime Minister and opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition. Mahathir Mohamad, who has served as Malaysian Prime Minister cumulatively for 24 years, too is seeking re-election. The 97-year-old veteran leader, was ousted as Prime Minister by his own party two years ago after becoming the country’s leader for a second time in 2018. Mahathir Mohamad will defend his stronghold seat in the resort island of Langkawi with his newly formed ethnic Malay alliance Gerakan Tanah Air, or Homeland Movement. While he is expected to win his own support, pollsters say he is unlikely to return as prime minister. WATCH | Malaysia's 15th General Elections: 222 Parliament seats up for grabs × Nearly 1,000 candidates will be vying for 222 seats in Parliament. Anwar Ibrahim top PM choice: Pollster Selangor-based Merdeka Center predicted on Friday that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s reformist Pakatan Harapan coalition was on course to take 82 seats, Muhyiddin’s Perikatan Nasional alliance, gaining momentum among Malays at 43 seats, Ismail’s Barisan at 15 but 45 too close to call. Anwar was the top choice for prime minister at 33 per cent, followed by Muhyiddin at 26 per cent and Ismail at 17 per cent, according to Merdeka Center. Anwar last came close to being Prime Minister in 2020 but a power struggle in his coalition denied him the chance. His more than two decades as an opposition figure have included nine years in jail for sodomy and corruption, charges he says were politically motivated. He was released from prison in 2018 after joining with former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, both his mentor and long-time rival, to defeat Barisan Party for the first time in Malaysia’s history amid public anger at the government over the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal. That coalition collapsed after 22 months in power due to infighting over a promise by Mahathir to hand the premiership to Anwar. Muhyiddin briefly became Prime Minister but his administration collapsed last year, paving the way for Barisan Party's return to power with Ismail Sabri Yaakob at the helm. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Malaysians cast votes in general election after bitterly-contested campaign

Malaysia is all set to go to polls in just a few days from now and 97-year-old former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad is back in the election race. He is contesting as the head of the alliance that he calls as the Movement Of the People. He also hopes to gain enough cease to influence the Parliament

Malaysia polls: 97-year-old Mahathir Mohamad in election race; analysts predict hung Parliament