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Newly-elected MPs Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail (PKR-Permatang Pauh) and Hasan Arifin (BN-Rompin) were sworn in as today, during the second sitting of the august House this year.

The swearing-in ceremony was held before Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia.

Wan Azizah, who returns to Parliament after seven years, was also announced as the new opposition leader by the speaker.

A smiling Pandikar ( photo ), who recently denied that he would quit as speaker, was greeted by parliamentarians when he walked in.

The current sitting will last till June 18. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is expected to table the 11th Malaysian Plan by Thursday.

"I was satisfied to get a consensus (from the Pakatan parties)," Pandikar said.

"Wan Azizah is the opposition leader. I welcome her back to the House," he added.

Won by-election

Wan Azizah's children Ehsan Anwar and Ilham Hana Anwar attended the ceremony.

On May 7, Wan Azizah won the parliamentary seat with a 8,841-vote majority, garnering 30,316 votes compared to BN's Suhaimi Sabudin's 21,475 votes in the latest by-election.

The win came with a lower majority compared to the 11,721-vote majority PKR obtained in the last general elections while its share of the votes cast also declined slightly.

BN's Hasan Arifin had won the polls by a 8,895 majority - a dramatic drop of 40.8 percent compared to its majority two years ago at the 2013 general elections.

Hasan, a former Pahang deputy menteri besar, had polled 23,796 while PAS's Nazri Ahmad had garnered 14,901 votes.

Shadow cabinet

At a press conference in the Parliament lobby later, Wan Azizah outlined the opposition's three main objectives in Parliament.

They are to strengthen Pakatan's common policy framework, re-establishing a shadow cabinet committee, and proposing that the government set up a Parliamentary Budget Committee.

"We will re-establish a Pakatan shadow cabinet committee in which each ministry will be represented by one member of parliament from each party," she said.

Asked when the shadow cabinet would be set up, the opposition leader said the priority is currently on strengthening Pakatan.

During this current sitting, Parliament will seek to pass Evidence (Amendment) Bill 2015 and the Criminal Procedure Code (Amendment) Bill 2015 which were  withdrawn form being tabled during the last sitting on Apr 8.

The two bills are to complement the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Bill ( Pota ).