No special session of Malaysian parliament on Monday to pick PM -speaker

Malaysia's parliament will not hold a special session on Monday to decide on the next prime minister, its speaker said, a day after interim premier Mahathir Mohamad said the legislative body would do so. The speaker, Mohamad Ariff Md Yusof, said he received a letter for a special session from Mahathir, but the letter did not adhere to parliamentary procedure.

"I also take the position that the need to have a special parliament meeting will be made after receiving an official decree from the king regarding the process of selecting the prime minister," the speaker said in a statement. "As such, I have decided there will be no special meeting of the House of Representatives on Monday."

Mahathir's announcement had angered an opposing coalition of three parties led by Anwar Ibrahim, who said it was inappropriate for him to pre-empt a decision by the king, whose powers would be challenged by a vote in parliament.