While no side has clear majority, will Mahathir form minority gov't?

While there is no clear indication that any political coalition has a sufficient number of MPs to form a new government, there is a possibility of the formation of a minority government.

This is provided that interim Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad (above) has gained enough support from majority MPs.

In a parliamentary system, a minority government could be formed if none of the political parties or coalitions has a clear majority in parliament but they all support a common MP to become the prime minister.

Currently, it is unclear that any political coalition in Malaysia has at least 112 MPs in hand to form a new government, following the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government yesterday.

But at the same time, most of the major political parties, including Umno, PAS, Warisan, DAP and Amanah, have pledged their support to Mahathir to continue his premiership. 

The 11 former PKR MPs led by Gombak MP Azmin Ali have consistently supported Mahathir. It was also reported that Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) is behind Mahathir.

In total, they comprise 148 MPs of the 222 MPs in Dewan Rakyat.

It is up to Mahathir to pick his ministers

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong will personally interview all the MPs beginning today, to determine which MP has the support of the majority MPs to become the next prime minister.

If most of the abovementioned MPs pledge their support to Mahathir, it would enable him to form his cabinet/government should he agree to continue his tenure as the prime minister.

As stipulated in Article 43(2)(b) of the Federal Constitution, it is the prime minister’s right to advise the King to appoint other ministers into his cabinet.

In other words, should Mahathir be reappointed as the prime minister, it is up to him to decide on whether selecting MPs from Pakatan Harapan (PKR, DAP and Amanah) or Muafakat Nasional (Umno and PAS) or any other MPs into his government.

Regardless of which side he picks, it would be the first-ever minority government in Malaysia where the ruling coalition does not have the majority seats in Dewan Rakyat.

But one also cannot rule out the possibility that Mahathir will form a unity government without any opposition, as proposed by Bersatu supreme council member Wan Saiful Wan Jan (above).

The operation of a minority government is not uncommon in the rest of the world. It has happened in many Western democracies.

For example, most of the governments in Denmark since 1982 are in minority, but Denmark has been a stable country most of the time and has one of the best quality of life in the world. - Mkini