Amid growing speculation that Muhyiddin would announce his resignation as prime minister soon, Damansara MP Tony Pua said one of the possible outcomes could be a political impasse that would drag on.

“Number one, if no one has a majority, there will be a political impasse dragging us for a long time.

“Number two, a prime minister from Umno is appointed that could unite all Umno MPs and number three, a general election,” he said in a webinar organised by the electoral reform group Bersih 2.0.

However, he hoped scenario number three would not happen. “A general election during the pandemic? That is just nuts.”

Pua discounted the possibility of an interim prime minister being appointed, as there is no provision in the Federal Constitution for such a position.

Bersih chairman Thomas Fann said that if Muhyiddin resigned soon, someone else must step up to the plate quickly and show proof of support among MPs.

“To do so, this person must strike deals with other parties to gain the necessary support,” he said.

Fann floated the idea of a confidence and supply agreement among political parties, in which minority parties provide the government with support on confidence motions and supply bills without becoming part of the government.

He said such an agreement would be the way forward to build a government. “We cannot afford a prolonged period without leadership to lead us away from the health crisis.”