Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the presidential council would decide on the candidate in the by-election for the Rantau state seat in Negeri Sembilan.

He said the issue of which party was going to put up the candidate did not arise as more importantly, the candidate was going to represent the four component parties of Harapan.

“The person contesting is a candidate of Harapan not a candidate of Bersatu or PKR. So we will determine who will be the candidate," the prime minister told Malaysian media after the conclusion of the 26th Apec Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea today.

He was commenting on several names from among Harapan coalition parties being tossed about for the coming by-election.

On Friday, the Election Court in Seremban declared Mohamad Hasan's victory in the Rantau state seat during the 14th general election was null and void and a by-election for the seat should be held soon.

Mohamad won the seat unopposed after PKR candidate Dr S Streram was not allowed in the nomination centre because he did not have a pass issued by the Election Commission.

Commenting on the by-election, Mahathir said: “From the start, we knew it was not right. Rules on people coming late, not wearing pass, these are all of the old government. The previous government was looking for ways to deceive. Now we see they are the one.”

On a possible cabinet reshuffle, he reiterated that it was not necessary as the cabinet was still new unless there was an insistence to do so.

“(Reshuffle) if there is a call. But for me there is no need to reshuffle as the cabinet is new and we have not tested their capabilities,” he said.

- Bernama