Pakatan Harapan presidential council has no locus standi (legal standing) to determine the next prime minister, said Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari.

He added that only members of Parliament can do so.

Any decision from the presidential council meeting will not affect the position of the prime minister, Fadhli was quoted as saying by Malay daily Sinar Harian.

He said the coalition don't have the majority support from MPs in the Dewan Rakyat.

"Based on that factor, my view is that the Harapan presidential council has no local standi to determine the next prime minister.

"Harapan senior leadership council can come out with a decision but it will not affect the prime minister's position as only MPs have the say," Fadhli said.

His comment came amid talks of power transition from Dr Mahathir Mohamad to PKR president Anwar Ibrahim.

He also challenged the presidential council to get Mahathir to step down as soon as possible during the council meeting on Feb 21.

Previously, Anwar had said that he believed a specific transition date would be discussed during the meeting.

On the other hand, PAS has been pushing for Mahathir to stay on for a full term and wants to initiate a vote of confidence. 

On Feb 14, Mahathir said there are people who wanted him to stay on as prime minister for another "22 years" but assured that he would leave after the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Kuala Lumpur in November.

The Harapan presidential council had in the last general election endorsed Mahathir as its leader on the condition that Anwar, who was at the time in prison, would succeed him before the end of his (Mahathir's) term. No fixed timeline was provided.

However, Anwar's rivals in PKR and the opposition have allegedly worked to block the transition plan.