GEORGE TOWN: A number of posters proclaiming that a Barisan Nasional politician has been appointed to the Penang deputy chief minister post have made its rounds on social media.
The congratulatory posters stated that BN's Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and PKR's A. Kumaresan have been selected as the state's two deputy chief ministers.
Reezal Merican and Kumaresan won the Bertam and Batu Uban seats, respectively.
It was previously speculated that the two two deputy chief ministers post would be filled by PKR's Professor Datuk Dr Mohammad Abdul Hamid and Datuk Seri S. Sundarajoo.
Mohammad and Sundarajoo won the Batu Maung and Prai state seats, respectively.
State PKR deputy chairman Datuk Muhammad Bakhtiar Wan Chik, when asked about Reezal Merican and Kumaresan's appointments, said the matter has yet to be decided on.
"Not true," he said when asked to comment on the issue.
Bakhtiar said PKR and BN met with Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow this morning to submit the names of candidates from the respective parties to fill the exco posts.
"We had a meeting with the chief minister. BN was represented by Datuk Musa Sheikh Fadzir.
"Wait until the chief minister announces it, either tonight or tomorrow. Wednesday is the swearing-in," he told the New Straits Times.
Bakhtiar said PKR had submitted the names of three excos, including for the deputy chief minister.
He remained mum on the names submitted.
Meanwhile, Musa said BN too had submitted a name for the exco post.
He also did not name the candidate.
In the previous state government, DAP had eight state excos, including the chief minister and deputy chief minister.
PKR had three excos, including the deputy chief minister.
The NST has learnt that this time around, DAP may have one less exco member.
Chow, who is Penang Pakatan Harapan chairman, was sworn-in as the state's fifth Chief Minister for the second term at Seri Mutiara, which is the Yang di-Pertua Negeri's residence here, yesterday.
Pakatan Harapan retained power in Penang with its ally, Barisan Nasional, after they won 29 of the 40 seats contested.
The coalition will form the new state government with a two-third majority.