IPOH:Perak Pakatan Harapan (PH) has described the confidence vote on the menteri besar which resulted in Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu failing to get majority support in the Perak State Assembly today as a victory for democracy.

Perak Opposition leader Dr Abdul Aziz Bari said this was only the third time a menteri besar had failed to obtain majority support in the state assembly, after Datuk Harun Idris of Selangor in 1975 and Datuk Muhammad Nasir of Kelantan in 1977.

"After 43 years our country has again witnessed a menteri besar losing majority support through a vote of confidence. This is a victory for democracy.

"We in the opposition bloc are confident that the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, will take note of this, and I ask the people of Perak to be patient because the formation of the new state government will be done in accordance with the principles of law and the Federal Constitution," he told a news conference at Wisma DAP here.

Meanwhile, Perak DAP chairman Nga Kor Ming said PH leaders in the state would be holding a meeting to ensure that the new state government could be formed in a proper manner according to the principles of democracy and the law.

Ahmad Faizal, the Chenderiang assemblyman from Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, failed to obtain majority support in the motion on the confidence vote tabled by Pengkalan Baharu assemblyman Datuk Abdul Manap Hashim of Barisan Nasional.

Out of the 59 assemblymen, 10 voted for the motion, 48 voted against it and one ballot was spoilt, according to Speaker Datuk Mohamad Zahir Abdul Khalid.

-- BERNAMA