This further fuels speculation that the former Sungai Petani MP will be elected as the new Dewan Rakyat Speaker when the lower house convenes tomorrow.

Last week, Johari reportedly confirmed that he would be the Pakatan Harapan (PH) nominee for the role.

In a video message to FMT, Johari said he resigned as Gurun assemblyman last Tuesday, adding that Kedah state assembly speaker Juhari Bulat had accepted his resignation letter.

He expressed his gratitude to the people of Gurun for their support over the years.

When asked if his rumoured appointment as Dewan Rakyat Speaker was true, Johari said all would be revealed tomorrow. The lower house will convene for two days from tomorrow, with the election of a new Speaker being the first item on the agenda.

Johari was a three-term Sungai Petani MP and served as Bakar Arang assemblyman and later Gurun assemblyman for one term each.

He did not defend his Sungai Petani seat in the recent general election (GE15). However, his son Taufiq Johari contested as the PH candidate and won the seat.

Johari had also taken over as Kedah opposition leader in the state assembly in October, replacing Alor Mengkudu assemblyman Phahrolrazi Mohd Zawawi, who had been sacked as Kedah Amanah chief.

With Johari vacating the Gurun seat, PH now has nine seats in the 36-seat Kedah state assembly. PAS has the most seats with 15, followed by Bersatu (6), while Umno and Pejuang have two each.

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