It’s official: Ismail Sabri Yaakob has been chosen as the ninth Prime Minister of Malaysia. The 61-year old Bera MP assumes the leadership of the government after receiving support from 114 Members of Parliament. These include support from his own party, UMNO, along with Bersatu, PAS, and more.
After a few days of political uncertainty, kicked off by the resignation of Muhyiddin Yassin, MPs from both sides of the political divide were told to submit their nominations for the top post.
BREAKING: Ismail Sabri has been appointed as Malaysia’s 9th Prime Minister.
Istana Negara says the swearing-in ceremony will be held tomorrow at 2.30pm. pic.twitter.com/HPZVP5dJLi
— BFM News (@NewsBFM) August 20, 2021
The new Prime Minister will be sworn tomorrow and will be tasked with appointing a Cabinet to deal with the ongoing pandemic. Despite his appointment, Ismail Sabri must now hold a vote of confidence when Parliament reconvenes. This is in line with the instructions of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
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Reiterating today's 4pm deadline for MPs to submit their statutory declarations, the Istana Negara has released a statement calling for the MP that is appointed prime minister to raise a vote of confidence in Parliament as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/Il2Nil8d1J
— TheVibes.com (@thevibesnews) August 18, 2021
Putting aside political aspirations and affiliations, let us hope that the new government can lead us out of this current predicament.