IPOH - The tussle between two rival political alliances, Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Barisan Nasional (BN), to form the government in Malaysia's Perak state remains unresolved on Friday (April 11) despite meetings held between the politicians and state ruler Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah.
PH won 29 state assembly seats out of the total 59 in Wednesday's general election.
BN won 27, and the remaining three wards were won by Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS).
This led to a hung assembly, as a minimum of 30 seats is needed to claim outright control of the northern state's legislature.
BN has claimed it could form the state government, as it has agreed with PAS to form a coalition government with a total of 30 seats.
But PH is saying it has the right to form the Perak government as it won the most number of seats.
After separate meeting with Sultan Nazrin, the ruler has given PH the first option to form the state government, but the four-party alliance must have one more assemblyman from 29 now, said Perak's (Dewan Negara) Upper House member Annuar Zaini, as quoted by Malay Mail online news on Friday.
"Sultan Nazrin Shah has given Pakatan the option to form the government with the condition that they have a simple majority of 30," he told reporters at the Perak palace Istana Kinta, where PH leaders had met the Ruler.
Datuk Seri Annuar said the office of Sultan Nazrin had also received a letter from Perak BN informing him that the coalition has the simple majority of 30 seats with a BN-PAS joint government. The ruler had also met with BN politicians.
Earlier on Friday, PH assemblyman Howard Lee claimed its alliance has the right to form the government because the Constitution says the confidence of the majority of the assemblymen was needed to form the government, according to The Star newspaper.
Meanwhile, newly elected Ipoh Timur MP from PH, Wong Kah Woh, said people are concerned about the situation in Perak.
"Technically, Pakatan can form the state government as we have more seats. Give us these few days, things will be clearer on what needs to be done," he said.
