[BREAKING] Ismail Sabri Has Been Appointed As The 9th Prime Minister Of Malaysia
The 61-year-old Bera lawmaker will be sworn in tomorrow, 21 August.
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UMNO's Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been appointed as Malaysia's ninth Prime Minister
In a statement issued by Instana Negara today, 20 August, Comptroller of the Royal Household Datuk Indera Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said 114 members of Parliament (MPs) have proven to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah that they support Ismail to be the next Prime Minister.
Ahmad said the appointment comes after a week-long process to choose a candidate that His Majesty believes commands the majority of support in the Dewan Rakyat in accordance with the 43(2)(a) article of the Federal Constitution.
He added that His Majesty wishes that Ismail's appointment will end the political crisis and all MPs can set aside the political agenda by focusing on unity and unanimously work to address the COVID-19 pandemic in the interest of the people and the country.
"His Majesty also called on all the people to remain calm and pray with His Majesty that the country would always be under the protection of Allah Subhana Watala, kept away from any disaster, and the COVID-19 epidemic could be curbed and ended immediately," the statement read.
The announcement of Ismail's appointment comes after the Agong held a special meeting with the Council of Rulers at the Istana Negara at 2.30pm today
It is understood that the special meeting was to discuss the formation of a new government and the appointment of a new Prime Minister following Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's resignation on Monday, 16 August.
According to The Star, Rulers from Johor, Perlis, and Kelantan did not attend the meeting.
The Sultan of Kedah, Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, arriving at Istana Negara earlier today.
Image via Free Malaysia Today
Prior to this, the Agong and his deputy, Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, met with party chiefs from PKR, DAP, Amanah, UMNO, PAS, and Pejuang for two hours on Tuesday, 17 August.
All 220 members of Parliament (MPs) were then given until 4pm on Wednesday, 18 August, to name their Prime Minister candidate.
After the deadline, on Thursday, 19 August, 114 MPs — who were said to be backing Ismail — were summoned to Istana Negara.
It is learnt that the purpose for the arrangement was for the Agong to verify each MP's Prime Minister candidate and assure that their votes were not made under duress, reported Malaysiakini.
The series of meetings and movements at the Istana Negara this week was to resolve the political uncertainties in the country and choose the next Prime Minister.
The Yang di-Pertuan Agong (front) and his deputy, the Sultan of Perak.
Image via Istana Negara (Facebook)
Even with Ismail's appointment today, the Agong had earlier said that whoever ended up becoming the Prime Minister must prove his or her legitimacy in the Parliament.
Ismail's swearing-in ceremony will be conducted at 2.30pm tomorrow, 21 August
Below is Instana Negara's full statement:
Find out more about the incoming Prime Minister:
Here are the previous political developments that led up to the appointment of Ismail as Malaysia's ninth Prime Minister:
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