Muhyiddin denies claiming to have majority support to be PM again

"A few days ago, there were allegations that I told the leader of a political party that I had the support of the majority of MPs to be reappointed as prime minister.

"I would like to stress that I have never told or confirmed to anyone that I have the support of the majority of MPs. The accusation is not true," he said in a statement today.

The Bersatu president said a series of meetings with several leaders of political parties other than Barisan Nasional (BN) was held to spearhead an understanding to face the 15th General Election (GE15)

He said the matter was discussed informally after several politicians from opposition parties approached him after the Johor state election.

"Many are of the opinion that the best way to face GE15 is to work out a one-on-one formula against BN.

"BN's victory in the Melaka and Johor state elections was merely because votes were split between other parties. BN did not get the majority support, and in fact, support for the coalition did not increase," he said.

Muhyiddin said he took the initiative to reach out to political leaders after Bersatu political bureau and supreme council agreed to it.

The one-on-one formula is a form of cooperation or electoral pact that does not involve the formation of new political coalitions, he said.

He added that Bersatu is always open to negotiations with political parties except BN to achieve a consensus regarding the best formula to take on GE15.

On Monday, Parti Warisan president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal claimed that Muhyiddin had contacted him two months ago to get his backing to become prime minister again.