PM, Najib meet king on power transfer

Outgoing Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi met with the king this morning to hand in his resignation in a planned transition of power to his deputy Najib Abdul Razak.

Abdullah arrived in a black sedan escorted by police outriders at the Istana at 10am to have an audience with King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

The Agong was seen arriving at the palace 10 minutes earlier.

After an hour-long audience, Abdullah emerged from the palace smiling and waving to reporters.

Soon after Najib entered the palace to have an audience with the king. He left at 12.15pm, smiling and waving at the waiting crowd, but without saying anything.

"PM Abdullah offered his resignation to the king. The king is understood to have accepted it," said a senior official.

Officials said the government will issue an official statement later on the transfer of power.

Pak Lah: It's up to Tuanku

Abdullah has also sought royal consent to appoint Najib as his successor.

"It's a matter for Tuanku," he told reporters after the meeting.

Abdullah meanwhile bid farewell to his staff at the PM's Department in the afternoon.

He has another function at his Defence Ministry in Kuala Lumpur at 3pm today.

Government officials have yesterday said the king had agreed that Najib could be sworn in as prime minister.

Invitations have been sent to ministers to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

According to a PM’s aide, Najib will be sworn in as the country's sixth premier tomorrow at 10am in Istana Negara.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Abdullah will be conferred the Tun title, the highest ranking title the federal government can bestow on a civilian.

Later at 4pm, Abdullah will hand over the letter of office to Najib at the Prime Minister's office in Putrajaya.

His staff will gather outside the building to bid him farewell.

Najib is expected to give a speech to the PM’s office staff after the handover.

Chief secretary releases another statement

Meanwhile, chief secretary to the government Mohd Sidek Hassan issued a statement this evening confirming that the king has consented to naming Najib the country's new leader.

The statement, the second in as many days, was released in the wake of rumours that the king did not agree to appoint Najib as PM.

RTM will be broadcasting live the swearing-in ceremony tomorrow at 10am.