An official at the Royal Palace in Malaysia said on Friday that King Abdullah Ahmed Shah will not meet with anyone for a week, as he is under observation in the hospital, while opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim seeks to meet with him in order to form a new government.
"The doctors advised His Majesty to stay in the hospital for 7 days to be under observation, and during that time he will not hold any meetings," palace supervisor Ahmed Fadel Shams El Din told Reuters.
Anwar, the leader of the People's Justice Party, said this week that he had obtained a "massive and strong majority" of MPs that would allow him to overthrow Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, but he must convince the king that he has a degree of support that qualifies him to form a government.
Anwar explained that he had the support of two-thirds of the parliament, consisting of 222 deputies, but he refused to reveal the exact number of his supporters and the political forces to which they belong, but he said that he had the support of some representatives belonging to the parties of the current government coalition.
He added that the government that he wants to form has support and authorization, explaining that it is a government "with a majority of Malawians, but it will be comprehensive so that all spectrums of society are represented."
Anwar was scheduled to meet the king last Tuesday, but it was decided to cancel the appointment, as the king felt that he was not feeling well, and he was taken to hospital.
The current prime minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, only has a simple majority in parliament, and he rejected Anwar’s claim that he had a majority, and asked him to prove it through a constitutional process.
These events come only 7 months after another power struggle that pushed Muhyiddin to prime minister, and may delay efforts to stabilize an economy moaning from the impact of the Corona pandemic.
The king’s role is mostly ceremonial, but he may appoint a prime minister who he thinks is able to secure a parliamentary majority. He can also dissolve parliament and call elections on the advice of the prime minister.