Malaysia's Ruling Coalition Reverts to Opposition After Refusing to Team Up for New Gov't

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Malaysia’s political alliance, Barisan Nasional (National Front), has no intention to support any coalition to form a new government and will remain as the opposition, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said on Tuesday.

"The Barisan Nasional Supreme Council has decided not to support any coalition to form a government. BN does not support the Pakatan Harapan (PH) and Perikatan Nasional (PN) parties. So far, BN agrees to remain in opposition," the prime minister said on Twitter.

Malaysia held a general election on Saturday to elect lawmakers to its 222-seat lower house and regional legislatures. However, it remains unclear who will enter the country’s new government, as none of the parties or coalitions managed to gain enough votes to form a government singlehandedly.

Malaysian King Sultan Abdullah has given political parties until Tuesday afternoon to put together alliances needed for a majority, according to the Malay Mail newspaper.

On October 10, Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved the country's parliament with the king’s permission due to the parliamentary crisis that had developed in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic.