2020 Malaysian political crisis

A late-night meeting was held by the presidential council of Pakatan Harapan to discuss the issue of handing over of power from Mahathir Mohamad to Anwar Ibrahim, who was coined as the "Prime Minister-in-waiting" as promised in the 2018 election. It was reported that Anwar conceded to Mahathir to allow the latter to choose his own date to resign as the prime minister after APEC Malaysia 2020 in November.[29][30][31] However, reports suggested that the meeting was tense and heated during the discussion about Mahathir's departure date.[32][33]Later in May, a leaked audio tape of the meeting revealed Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq and PKR deputy president Azmin both warned Mahathir that he would be a “lame-duck prime minister” if he agreed to a timeline, while Anwar’s supporters from PKR were of the view that he should become prime minister based on the originally promised deadline of 2 years within Harapan's election win on 9 May 2020.[34]

Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Mahathir had planned to block Anwar from becoming prime minister, with the plan to be carried out after APEC. However, Anwar's supporters' demand for Mahathir to pick a date for the handing over resulted in the latter's allies to move up their plan, which was carried out on 23 February.[35]

On 23 February 2020, several political parties held extraordinary meetings; Bersatu at its headquarters at Menara Yayasan Selangor in Petaling Jaya, Muafakat Nasional pact of UMNO and Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) had a retreat in Janda Baik, Pahang, UMNO's supreme council at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC), and Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS)'s members of the parliament (MPs) in Kuala Lumpur.[36]

The Putra World Trade Center building where UMNO's supreme council had held their meeting.

Azmin Ali, the deputy president of PKR and the Minister of Economic Affairs, also held a meeting with several lawmakers from the party and twenty others at Sheraton Hotel in Petaling Jaya, amidst rumours that the formation of a new governing coalition was being undertaken.[37] The event was widely reported on local media as Langkah Sheraton or the Sheraton Move.[38][39][40]

Azmin and his faction in PKR went to the Istana Negara in the evening to seek an audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Leaders from five other political parties; Bersatu's Muhyiddin Yassin who is also the Minister of Home Affairs, UMNO's Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, PAS's Hadi Awang, GPS's Abang Johari Openg and Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan)'s Shafie Apdal were also in attendance.[41] It was speculated that the leaders were there to brief the Agong about the recent political development; formation of a new coalition government and to declare their support for a new prime minister, effectively blocking PKR's president Anwar Ibrahim from the position.[42][43] After the meeting, several opposition party leaders, including UMNO's Ismail Sabri Yaakob and PAS's Hadi Awang then joined Azmin's supporters at Sheraton Hotel.[44]

In a Facebook Live broadcast of a night prayer session at Anwar's residence, Anwar said that he had been informed that a "treachery" was committed involving "former friends from Bersatu and a small group from PKR".[45] Later, Azmin, in a statement, claimed that his action was to protect Mahathir, who was forced to choose a date for the transition of power during Pakatan Harapan presidential meeting on 21 February, and the statutory declaration (SD) presented to the Agong was to cement support for Mahathir, not to elect a new prime minister.[46] He further said that the real traitor was the faction that tried to usurp Mahathir.[47]

On the morning of 24 February, Anwar Ibrahim; the deputy prime minister, Wan Azizah Ismail, who is also Anwar's wife; the president of Amanah, Mat Sabu; and the secretary general of DAP, Lim Guan Eng, met Mahathir at his residence to seek clarification regarding the incident.[48] Anwar later stated that he was satisfied with the outcome of the meeting, as Mahathir had clarified that he had nothing to do with the pact to make a new coalition government.[49][50]

PKR held a press conference at 2 pm where its general secretary, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, announced that Azmin and the Minister of Housing and Local Government, Zuraida Kamaruddin, who is also the vice president of PKR, had been dismissed by the party.[51] Saifuddin explained that they were expelled due to their actions on 23 February which was against the party's principle regarding the position of prime minister.[52] Azmin later announced that he will be forming an independent bloc at the parliament along with Zuraida and other nine MPs who had decided to exit the party following his expulsion.[53]

In the afternoon of 24 February, the prime minister's office confirmed that Mahathir had sent his resignation letter to the Agong. Half an hour later, he also announced his resignation from his position as chairman of Bersatu after Muhyiddin declared the withdrawal of the party from Pakatan Harapan coalition.[54] The Agong tried to convince Mahathir against resigning but the latter inisted.[55] The Agong then accepted his resignation and appointed him as the interim prime minister until a new prime minister is chosen.[56] The Cabinet of Malaysia was dissolved, per Article 43(5) of the Constitution of Malaysia.[57][58] Pakatan Harapan lost its majority in the parliament after Bersatu and Azmin Ali's-led PKR faction of eleven MPs withdrew from the coalition at 2 pm.[59] A representative of the palace then announced that the Agong will interview all 221 MPs, excluding Mahathir, to weigh their support for prime minister candidates.[60] The interview sessions were held on 25 and 26 February, with 90 MPs on the former and the other 131 MPs on the latter.[61]

At 9 pm, Bersatu leaders held an emergency meeting at its headquarters to discuss the future direction of the party.[62] Members of Bersatu rejected Mahathir's resignation as the party's chairman and pledged their support for him to be the prime minister. The party's secretary-general Marzuki Yahya said that the members of Bersatu's supreme council were unanimous in their support for Mahathir.[63]

On 25 February, 90 MPs were summoned to have audience with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. Starting from 2:30pm, the Agong spend two to three minutes interviewing each MPs.[64] Following the first round of interviews, UMNO and PAS revealed that they have withdrawn their supports given earlier for Mahathir to continue as prime minister, and had instead called for parliament dissolution.[65] It was previously reported that as all political factions voiced their support for Mahathir, he was about to establish a "unity government" that the two parties could not agree with.[66][67] Annuar Musa, UMNO's secretary-general, said the basis of negotiations with Mahathir was that UMNO and PAS would lend their support to form an alternative coalition without DAP. Therefore, both PAS and UMNO declared their support for a snap election instead.[68]

An emergency Pakatan Harapan presidential council meeting was held at PKR's headquarters in Petaling Jaya at night.[69] Pakatan Harapan parties; DAP, PKR and Amanah invited Mahathir to the meeting in order to restore the previous government but Mahathir did not attend the joint meeting.[70]

Interim Prime Minister Mahathir addressed the nation at 4.45 pm on the political situation. He began his speech by apologising to Malaysians for the current impasse before confirming speculation that he wanted to form a unity government, saying the new administration would focus on national interests instead of political parties. Mahathir denied allegations of being obsessed with power, and reiterated his refusal to work with UMNO. Mahathir made no mention of Anwar Ibrahim or the agreement to pass the leadership baton to Anwar as agreed with the 21st February meeting. Mahathir instead said the decision was up to the Dewan Rakyat.[71]

Pakatan Harapan announced that they were nominating PKR president Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister following the previous night's meeting, despite publicly declaring support for Mahathir earlier, following Mahathir's televised speech.[72][73] DAP lawmakers said Pakatan Harapan decided against a non-partisan “Mahathir government” as this would not be beholden to any party or coalition, which would give Mahathir free rein to do as he wanted.[74]

In the morning of 27 February, Mahathir once again went to the palace for an audience with the Agong. The content of the meeting was unknown although it was said to discuss a formation of new cabinet.[75] In the afternoon, the secretary general of Bersatu, Marzuki Yahya, confirmed that Mahathir had withdrawn his resignation as the chairman of Bersatu.[76] In an unrelated press conference in the evening of 27 February, Mahathir revealed that the Agong "cannot find anyone with a distinct majority" to be elected as the Prime Minister and that a special session of parliament would be held on 2 March to address the predicament. If all else failed, he hinted that there would be a snap election.[77]

Istana Negara, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong

A special Conference of Rulers meeting was held on the morning of 28 February at the Istana Negara to discuss the current political climate in the country, with all state rulers or their crown princes in attendance.[78] They were also joined by General Affendi Buang, the Chief of Defence Forces, and Abdul Hamid Bador, the Inspector-General of Police.[79]

Dewan Rakyat Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof contradicted Mahathir's previous announcement regarding the special sitting of the parliament. Ariff said that he had received a letter from Mahathir stating that the government agreed for a sitting to be called on 2 March but it did not adhere to parliamentary Standing Orders.[80] In the evening, the palace released a statement saying that the Yang di-Pertuan Agong will call the leaders of political parties who have members in the parliament for an audience, to allow them to nominate their candidates for the position of prime minister to break the impasse. It also confirmed that the Agong had not found a candidate who has the confidence of the majority of the MPs to form a new government.[81]

Bersatu then released a statement announcing their support for the party's president, Muhyiddin Yassin as the 8th Prime Minister, backed by the 26 Bersatu MPs and 10 others led by Azmin.[82] Further 60 MPs from UMNO, PAS, Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) and Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) also announced their support for Muhyiddin.[83] All the Muafakat Nasional MPs had also signed the new SD proposing Muhyiddin to be the next Prime Minister.[84] Muhyiddin Yassin's aide also confirmed that Azmin Ali and 10 other former PKR MPs have officially joined Bersatu.[85] However, Bersatu Supreme Council member Kadir Jasin claimed he was never invited for a discussion or informed about Muhyiddin's nomination.[86]

Bersatu Youth chief Syed Saddiq declared that he would never work with those involved in corruption to form a government, referring to UMNO. Bersatu's youth wing Armada also posted a statement to say that it would continue to back the party's supreme council's decision in its meeting on 24 February to support Mahathir as prime minister, suggesting a split within Bersatu over Mahathir and Muhyiddin's candidacy.[87]

In the morning of 29 February, the Pakatan Harapan presidential council held a meeting to discuss the current political situation. They then announced their full support for Mahathir as the 8th Prime Minister, thus reversing the coalition's nomination of PKR president Anwar Ibrahim for Prime Minister.[88] Following the announcement, Mahathir expressed confidence that he had the majority support to form the government and could be appointed as the prime minister for the third time after receiving assent from the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.[89] In the afternoon, Anwar, as a representative of Pakatan Harapan went to Istana Negara to inform the Agong of the nomination changes.[90]

Meanwhile, Bersatu's Muhyiddin Yassin and his allies including party leaders from UMNO, PAS, Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS), and Homeland Solidarity Party (STAR) had an audience with the Agong.[91][92] He also announced that his coalition consisting of Bersatu, UMNO, PAS, PBRS, GPS, and STAR will be called Perikatan Nasional.[93] The new coalition claimed that they have majority support in parliament to elect a Prime Minister and to form a government.[94]

Meanwhile, in Sarawak, Chong Chieng Jen who is vice-chairperson of DAP as well as chairman of DAP Sarawak, said that they are willing to make concessions and work together with the GPS state government. The main purpose for this was to preserve the PH federal government.[95] Chief Minister, Abang Abdul Rahman Johari Abang Openg snubbed Chong's peace gestures to the state coalition. He recalled past remarks by the DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng, condemning that the state will go bankrupt in the next three years.[96] PKR announced that GPS MP Richard Riot Jaem had defected to join the party.[97] However, he had denied the allegation, stating that he is still a member of GPS component party, Sarawak United Peoples' Party (SUPP), and had merely voiced out his support for Mahathir.[98]

In the evening, the royal palace released a statement saying that Muhyiddin, in the Yang di-Pertuan Agong's judgment, is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the MPs and is to be appointed as the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia. The swearing-in ceremony will be held in the morning of 1 March in the Istana Negara.[99]

Late in the night, Mahathir, in a final attempt to challenge Muhyiddin's appointment, published a list of 115 Members of Parliament whom he claimed was supporting him and enclosed the list with a letter to be delivered to the Agong following a Pakatan Harapan meeting. Notable MPs who were in the list are Mahathir, his son Mukhriz Mahathir and 4 other Bersatu MPs, members of Warisan, Jeffrey Kitingan of STAR, Maximus Ongkili of Gabungan Bersatu Sabah (GBS), Baru Bian and Jonathan Yasin who were previously in Azmin's bloc. However, the list were disputable as some MPs had denied backing Mahathir and some were ambiguous about their allegiance.[100] Furthermore, Shamrahayu Abd Aziz, an academic and an expert on the constitution also stated that any statutory declaration signed after the Agong's announcement will not make a difference, and the legal way to challenge Muhyiddin's appointment is through a vote of non-confidence in the Dewan Rakyat.[101]

Minutes before the swearing ceremony of Muhyiddin, Mahathir said in a press conference that the Istana Negara had refused to grant him audience to prove that Pakatan Harapan commanded the support of the majority of the Dewan Rakyat.[102] He expressed disappointment towards Muhyiddin, who he alleges had been working on forming a government without Pakatan Harapan "for a long time". Mahathir also revealed that the confusion over the status of his chairmanship of Bersatu allowed Muhyiddin to appoint himself as the chairman, which he claimed was an illegal move.[103]

Muhyiddin Yassin was sworn in as the eighth prime minister in front of the Agong at the Istana Negara on the morning of 1 March 2020.[104]

Perdana Putra in Putrajaya.

On the morning of 2 March, Muhyiddin arrived at the Perdana Putra building, which functions as the Prime Minister's Office, to begin his official duties as the Prime Minister. Muhyiddin held meetings with Chief Secretary Mohd Zuki Ali, General Affendi Buang, the Chief of Defence Forces, and Abdul Hamid Bador, the Inspector-General of Police.[105]

Later that night, Muhyiddin addressed the nation in his first televised message as the prime minister. In his address, he told the nation that he had no prior intention to become the prime minister and denied being a traitor but due to the political turmoil in the country, he had stepped up in order to avoid prolonging the crisis further. He also reassured that he will only choose individuals who are clean, virtuous and of high calibre to be in his cabinet. Before ending his message, he thanked former prime minister Mahathir for his service to the country.[106]

The Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat, Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof announced that the Dewan Rakyat sitting which was originally scheduled to start on 9 March has been postponed to 18 May at the direction of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.[107] PKR MP Wong Chen called the new prime minister's move to delay opening of parliament as a clear sign of weakness.[108]

Speaker Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof announced that he had received a letter on 1 May from Warisan leader Shafie Apdal seeking to table a motion of confidence in Dr Mahathir to show that he could command a majority in the Dewan Rakyat. The Speaker replied in a letter to Shafie that it was not in line with Article 43 of the Federal Constitution because it questioned the power of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to appoint the prime minister.[109]

In a Facebook Live session, Anwar Ibrahim announced that he would be the new Leader of the Opposition for Pakatan Harapan in the new session of Parliament.[110]

The Speaker accepted Dr Mahathir's motion of no confidence against Muhyiddin as Prime Minister to be debated when Parliament resumed on 18 May.[111]

The speaker announced that on the directions of the government, the parliament sitting on May 18 will only convene for a speech by the Agong opening the new session, with no meeting after the speech. This meant that Mahathir's no confidence motion would not be debated.[112]

Secretary to the Dewan Rakyat, Riduan Rahmat who was appointed on 22 February two days before the Sheraton Move, was demoted to Dewan Negara management secretary.[113] A source alleged that the secretary had attempted to keep the motion of no-confidence against Muhyiddin by Mahathir and Shafie a secret, leading to his demotion.[114] In response, both Mahathir and Shafie along with Pakatan Harapan leaders condemned the move in a joint statement and accused the Perikatan Nasional government of being afraid to face the opposition in parliament.[115]

The Agong addressed the Malaysian Parliament. He addressed the political crisis by recounting that he tried to convince then-PM Mahathir not to resign but had no choice but to accept it as the latter insisted on resigning.[116] The Agong ended his speech by calling on politicians not to drag the country into any further political crisis when there was already a Covid-19 pandemic crisis.[117]

The new seating arrangement in the Dewan Rakyat suggested that the Perikatan government had 113 seats in the Dewan Rakyat, after Masir Kujat of Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) clarified that he was not supporting the government, and remained as opposition in federal and state levels.[118]

In a press conference attended by Mahathir, Shafie Apdal, Mukhriz Mahathir, Lim Guan En,g and Mat Sabu following the parliamentary seating, Mahathir insisted that Bersatu was still a component of Pakatan Harapan as its Supreme Council never decided to exit the coalition. In a leaked audio tape released on Youtube and Facebook, Muhyiddin had allegedly given Mahathir a week to decide on the party’s direction as its chairman. "But before the one-week period, he took action as if he was not in PH. This goes against the party constitution and (any) approval by the PPBM Supreme Council," said Mahathir.[119] Notably, neither Anwar nor any representatives of PKR attended the press conference.

On 19 May, it was revealed that Bersatu had received a letter on 5 May from the Registrar of Societies stating that Mahathir was no longer party chairman after his resignation in February. The letter also confirmed the legality of Muhyiddin assuming the role of chairman until an election was held.[120]

Mahathir Mohamad, Mukhriz Mahathir, Syed Saddiq, Maszlee Malik and Amiruddin Hamzah were fired from Bersatu on 28 May.[121] They decried the move as illegal and reflective of Muhyiddin's insecurities and dictatorial leadership. In a joint statement, they disputed the interpretation of their decision not to join Muhyiddin's government benches in Parliament as joining another party, which results in automatic revocation of memberships, according to the Bersatu party constitution.[122] Muhyiddin defended the moves and insisted that the five members who were sacked as having breached the party constitution by sitting with the opposition in Parliament.[123]

Deputy Works Minister Shahruddin Md Salleh of Bersatu resigned from his position, calling his decision to join the Perikatan Nasional government "incorrect" and adding that he should have considered his constituents who "voted for Pakatan Harapan" in 2018.[124]

At night, Member of Parliament (MP) for Lubok Antu, Jugah Muyang resigned from the PKR, a component party of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition, and pledged support for the ruling Perikatan Nasional (PN) coalition. Therefore, the number of the Opposition MPs dropped from 109 to 108. The next day, Jugah went to the Seri Perdana, the official residence of the prime minister to hand over his support letter to Muhyiddin. On the other hand, an Independent MP, Syed Abu Husin Hafiz, MP for Bukit Gantang was also there to hand over the application form to join and support the Bersatu. Also present were Bersatu MPs Senior Minister for Economy and Minister of International Trade and Industry, Azmin Ali and Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Ali Biju. It was also reported that Jugah was convinced by Azmin to support the ruling PN coalition to empower its administration.

Tommy Thomas, the former Attorney General of Malaysia.

On 28 February, the Attorney General Tommy Thomas submitted his resignation letter to the interim Prime Minister Mahathir but no reason was given.[125] It came after he was heavily criticised for his decision not to pursue a case against twelve Indian individuals including two state lawmakers who were accused of having connection with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which was listed as a terrorist organisation in Malaysia.[126] He later told the media that he was a political appointee and as Mahathir resigned as the prime minister, it was best for him to tender his resignation as well.[127]

On 2 March, the chief commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Latheefa Koya tendered her resignation from the post. She stated that she wasn't pressured into doing so and that she wanted to return to her practice as a human rights advocate.[128] The deputy chief commissioner of operations, Azam Baki, was appointed as the new chief commissioner on 9 March 2020.[129]

The Menteri Besar of Selangor, Amirudin Shari called for a meeting with all Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members of the legislative assembly (ADUNs) at his official residence on the morning of 24 February 2020.[130] Amirudin is a member of PKR and was recommended by Azmin Ali for the Menteri Besar post when he was listed as a minister in the Prime Minister's cabinet. He was generally regarded as a key lieutenant in Azmin's faction of the party.[131][132][133]

On the morning of 25 February, Amirudin sought an audience with the Sultan of Selangor, Sharafuddin of Selangor. He was also joined by Amanah's Selangor chairman, Izham Hashim and DAP's Selangor chairman, Gobind Singh Deo.[134] The Sultan was satisfied with their explanation that the political development in federal level will not affect the incumbent Pakatan Harapan coalition in government of Selangor and consented for it to operate as usual.[134]

On 5 March, Amirudin announced a purge of Bersatu leaders and members from all positions of the state administration.[135]

The Sultan of Johor, Ibrahim Ismail of Johor ordered all 56 members of the legislative assembly to meet him on 26 February.[136] The assembly session that was scheduled to be held on 5 March was postponed as a result.[137] All the assemblypersons were asked to sign SD to state their preference whether to form a new coalition government or to allow Pakatan Harapan to continue governing the state.[138]

On 27 February, the private secretary to the Sultan, Jaba Mohd Noah, announced that a new coalition will govern the state after gaining a simple majority of 28 assemblymen against 26 who supported Pakatan Harapan.[139] Two assemblymen, Bersatu's Mazlan Bujang and Amanah's Salahuddin Ayub failed to state their preference as they did not meet the Sultan as ordered.[140] The new coalition was slated to consist of MLAs from Bersatu, UMNO, MIC, PAS and several others whose party allegiance were not mentioned.[141] However, a day later Pakatan Harapan challenged the new coalition's claim of majority control and stated that it too had the support of 28 assemblymen, including Salahuddin Ayub and PKR assemblyman Chong Fat Full who was rumoured to have been one of 28 assemblymen that signed a SD in support of the new coalition. The new Menteri Besar of Johor, Hasni Mohammad from UMNO, was sworn in on the evening of 28 February in front of the Sultan at Istana Bukit Serene, Johor Bahru.[142]

On 4 March, PKR assemblyman from Pemanis, Chong Fat Full formally announced his exit from his party to become a Perikatan-friendly independent, thus resulting in Perikatan Nasional effectively controlling 29 seats in the state assembly against Harapan's 27.[143]

On 14 May, the Johor state assembly convened. Sultan Ibrahim Ismail addressed the assembly and called on politicians not to create a "virus" of divisiveness and discord that would infect the rest of the country in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Sultan also reminded all assemblymen to set a good example by maintaining decorum and discipline, in contrast to the disruptions in the Perak and Malacca assemblies earlier in the week.[144][145] Earlier, on 11 May, Johor Pakatan Harapan announced that they cancelled a no confidence motion in the Menteri Besar in response to the Sultan's plea, and Speaker Suhaizan Kayat of Amanah remained in his position amid earlier reports of his removal by the Perikatan government.[146]

On 3 June, following new reports of Pakatan Harapan plotting to retake control of the state government, Sultan Ibrahim threatened to dissolve the assembly and hold a new election.[147]

In Malacca, the legislative assembly was caught in a deadlock as both Pakatan Harapan and the opposition Barisan Nasional held 13 seats each after Bersatu left the then-ruling coalition.[148] The Chief Minister of Malacca, Adly Zahari met the Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Malacca, Mohd Khalil Yaakob on 26 February to brief him on the current political situation.[149] On 27 February, the state government announced in a press conference that they will preserve the status quo and will continue to operate as usual.[150] However, the assembly session that was scheduled to be held on 6 March was postponed.[151]

On 2 March, Barisan Nasional's Malacca state chairman, Abdul Raouf Yusof attended a meeting with the Yang di-Pertua Negeri.[152] In a press conference held in the evening, he confirmed that Pakatan Harapan had lost their majority in the legislative assembly and Perikatan Nasional will form a new government. The new coalition government had the support of 17 state assemblymen.[153] On the same day, Adly Zahari met with the Yang di-Pertua Negeri and suggested that the state assembly be dissolved and to trigger a state election in accordance with Article 7 (4) of the state constitution, but Adly's suggestion was rejected.[154][155]

On 3 March, Adly held a press conference, in which he stated that he did not resign from his post. However, he was informed that he was no longer chief minister and was dismissed on the previous evening.[156] The new chief minister of Malacca, Sulaiman Md Ali from UMNO was sworn in on the evening of 9 March 2020.[157]

On 11 May, the state assembly convened and the Perikatan administration moved a motion of no confidence in Speaker Omar Jaafar of PKR, which led to heated verbal exchanges and insults between both sides of the assembly. The Speaker adjourned the sitting. Later, the assembly reconvened with only Perikatan assemblymen and declared Ab Rauf Yusoh of UMNO as the new Speaker.[158] The ousted speaker said Melaka Pakatan Harapan is contesting the legality of the new Speaker's appointment.[159]

In Kedah, the Menteri Besar of Kedah, Mukhriz Mahathir sought an audience with the Sultan of Kedah, Sallehuddin of Kedah on the morning of 27 February.[160] Mukhriz is the fifth child of Mahathir Mohamad, and a member of Bersatu, which had exited the incumbent coalition Pakatan Harapan.[20][161] The Sultan consented to allowing Mukhriz to continue as the Menteri Besar after 19 Pakatan Harapan lawmakers announced their support for him despite the political situation at the federal level.[162]

On 12 May, two PKR assemblymen representing Sidam and Lunas left the party citing lack of confidence in Anwar and an alleged purge of grassroots members aligned towards Azmin as their reasons, to become independents friendly towards Perikatan Nasional.[163] Later in the day, Kedah state opposition leader Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor announced the formation of a new government with the support of 23 state assemblymen including the two ex-PKR members and four of six Bersatu assemblymen previously aligned with Pakatan Harapan.[164][165]

On 13 May, Mukhriz appeared in a press conference with his exco members from Pakatan Harapan and insisted that his administration was still intact. He insisted that he will remain in control until the Kedah palace notifies him, or with a no confidence vote in the state assembly.[166] Two days later, Kedah's assemblymen from both Pakatan Harapan and Perikatan Nasional were granted audience with the Sultan to resolve the issue.[167][168] On 17 May, Mukhriz resigned, conceding that he had lost the confidence of the assembly.[169] Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor of PAS was sworn in as the new Menteri Besar on the evening.[170]

On 27 February, an UMNO representative from the opposition had an audience with the Sultan of Perak, Nazrin Shah of Perak and later revealed that the Sultan stated that any coalition which can prove that they have at least 30 seats in the state assembly will be able to form a government.[171] The incumbent Menteri Besar of Perak, Bersatu's Ahmad Faizal Azumu then hinted that there will be a new state government, and articulated his hope that he would continue as Menteri Besar under the new government.[172] On 3 March, he informed the media that he had been ordered to see the Sultan at Istana Iskandariah in the afternoon.[173]

In a press conference held on 9 March, Faizal confirmed that a new state government made up of twenty five assemblymen from UMNO, three from PAS and four from Bersatu was being formed.[174] He tendered his resignation on the next day to formalise the dissolution of the Perak State Executive Council.[175] He was subsequently reappointed as the Menteri Besar of Perak by the Sultan and was sworn in on the evening on 13 March.[176]

On 12 May, speaker of the Perak state legislative assembly Ngeh Koo Ham announced in a speech to the assembly that he would be resigning as speaker after an attempt by Menteri Besar Faizal to launch a motion of no-confidence against him. During the speech, he stated that attempts to replace him as speaker should not be done through threats, referencing Faizal's attempted motion of-no confidence against him. State government assemblymen had previously tried to persuade Ngeh to vacate the position before the state assembly convened.[177][178]

On 4 March, Afif Bahardin from PKR resigned from his position in Penang State Executive Council.[179] He stated that he was pressured by the party's state and central leadership to resign from his post.[180] Afif is a known supporter of Azmin Ali while the latter was still the party's deputy president.[181] PKR's Norlela Ariffin was appointed as the new state councillor and was sworn in on 12 March in front of the Yang Dipertua Negeri, Abdul Rahman Abbas.[182][183]

On 23 May, two Bersatu state representatives withdrew their support for the Harapan government of Penang following their appointments by the federal government to the Penang Regional Development Authority (under the Rural Development Ministry) and MARA’s investment arm Mara Corp Sdn Bhd’s board of advisors. [184]

On 28 May, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced that the state government will table a motion at the next state legislative assembly sitting to compel the two Bersatu representatives, along with Dr Afif who was suspended from PKR on 3 May, to vacate their seats. Currently, Penang is the only state in Malaysia that has legislation which prohibits switching of parties for elected representatives under Section 14A of the Penang Constitution.[185][186]The law also allows the assembly to declare the seats vacant via a motion carried by a majority of the House if the representatives do not resign.

Perikatan Nasional secured every seat in the Kelantan and Terengganu legislatures, leaving them without an opposition.

Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) hold a meeting at its headquarters on 1 March 2020.[187] While leaving the headquarters after the meeting ended, members who were associated with the former deputy president Azmin Ali, such as the vice-president Tian Chua and the former party's youth wing deputy chief Afif Bahardin, was harassed and assaulted by PKR supporters. Both were accused of being "traitors". Police later revealed that one arrest had been made in relation to the incident involving Chua, with at least two reports were lodged.[188]

A large number of grassroots members of PKR have left the party since the political crisis started. Three PKR Kelantan branch leaders announced that they were leaving the party on 26 February after Azmin and Zuraida Kamaruddin, the party's vice president, were sacked from their positions and expelled.[189] Around 2,000 members from the Pasir Puteh branch left the party on 28 February, stating that they were disappointed with the party's leadership.[190] 536 members from the Kota Raja branch also left the party on 1 March, citing that they no longer believed in the party's direction.[191] On 2 March, around 400 members of PKR in Perak also left the party, arguing that the party had lost its focus on nation building and was only focused on the transition of power to the party's president, Anwar Ibrahim.[192] This was later followed by the exit of 500 members from the Arau and Padang Besar branches on 15 March. They too cited that they had lost confidence with the party's leadership under Anwar.[193]

Following the resignation of Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia's stock market FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI on 24 February dropped to its lowest point since 2011.[194] The Ringgit also weakened against US dollar, traded at 4.22, their lowest in months.[194][195] However, the market bounced back on the next day, trading at 0.78% higher on mid-day.[196]