KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar has given his consent for the state legislative assembly to be dissolved.
In a statement posted on the Sultan's official Facebook account, the state ruler had signed the dissolution letter of the Johor State Assembly to make way for the state election.
"His Majesty has consented to an audience with the Mentri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad at 5pm at the Bukit Serene Palace in Johor Baru today.
"(According to) Clause 23 of the Second Part of the Johor Government Constitution 1895, the Johor Darul Ta'zim State Assembly is dissolved on Jan 22, 2022," the statement read.
Also present during the audience was Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim.
Hasni was accompanied by the state government secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani who had presented the letter of dissolution of the Johor state assembly.
The Johor State Assembly currently comprises 56 seats with Umno (14), DAP (14), Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (11), PKR (7), Parti Amanah Negara (6), MIC (2) and PAS (1).
The Johor government found itself with a mere one seat majority with 28 seats compared to the 27 seats held by the opposition bloc.
The state government's position became tenuous following the death of Kempas state assemblyman Datuk Osman Sapian, who is also the former Mentri Besar, on Dec 21.