The first meeting of the first term of the 14th Parliament session will begin today, after the 14th general election which saw Pakatan Harapan forming the new government.

The meeting will begin at 10 am with the appointment of the Dewan Rakyat speaker being the first business on the agenda.

Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday confirmed that former Appeals Court judge Mohamad Ariff Md Yunos will be appointed as speaker.

This will be followed by a swearing-in ceremony of the members of parliament led by Dr Mahathir.

All 221 members of the Dewan Rakyat are expected to be sworn-in except Bersatu president Muhyiddin Yassin who is Pagoh MP and on medical leave after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour in the pancreas recently.

This will be followed by the election of two deputy speakers from among the members of Parliament to assist the speaker in conducting the sessions.

This is the first time in the history of the country that there has been a change in government other than BN, and the historic moment will be telecast live by all the main television stations in the country.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting will be held for 20 days until August 16.

On Tuesday, the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V will simultaneously officiate the Dewan Rakyat and Dewan Negara sittings.

The last Dewan Rakyat sitting was on April 5 before Parliament was dissolved on April 7 to make way for GE14.

- Bernama