Kuala perlis: Kuala Perlis assemblyman Abu Bakar Hamzah was sworn in as the new Menteri Besar of Perlis at Istana Arau here today. Abu Bakar, 57, took his oath of office before the Raja of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail, at 4.04 pm.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Abu Bakar is the Perlis Perikatan Nasional (PN) deputy chairman and State Bersatu Chief. He secured the Kuala Perlis seat in the 15th General Election with a majority of 154 votes. Abu Bakar takes over from Mohd Shukri Ramli, who stepped down on Thursday due to health reasons.

Abu Bakar was appointed to the state executive council following a reshuffle in November last year, taking on the Tourism, Arts and Culture as well as Rural Development portfolios. During this reshuffle, he was one of three state assemblymen appointed as new executive councillors, filling the positions of two incumbents who were dropped.

The swearing-in ceremony experienced a delay, initially scheduled for 1 pm, but eventually took place in the late afternoon. Police personnel were strategically stationed at the main entrance of the palace and several junctions along the main routes leading to Istana Arau.

On December 25, Perlis State Assembly Speaker Rus'sele Eizan announced unexpected vacancies for the Chuping, Bintong, and Guar Sanji seats, in line with Clause (1)(a)(ii) of Article 50A of the Perlis State Constitution. These vacancies emerged after PAS announced on December 24 that the party membership of three of its assemblymen had been terminated, following their alleged move to withdraw support for Mohd Shukri.

In the recent 15th General Election, Perikatan Nasional (PN) Perlis won 14 of the 15 state assembly seats, with PAS securing nine seats and Bersatu five. The remaining seat was won by Pakatan Harapan (PH) through PKR. Meanwhile, Perlis State Secretary Datuk Rahimi Ismail confirmed that Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin had consented to Abu Bakar's appointment as the new Menteri Besar, in accordance with Articles 37 and 39 of the Perlis State Constitution.