He walked to the media tent which had been set up outside palace grounds and reiterated what was mentioned in a statement issued by Istana Negara earlier.

“The caretaker government is still running as per usual, so if there’s anything to report, they will issue a statement,” the King said, before distributing packs of food to reporters.

In the statement, the palace said Sultan Abdullah had consented to giving party leaders and heads of coalitions a one-day extension to the deadline to propose their prime ministerial candidates.

It said they have until 2pm tomorrow to submit the names of their candidates.

Earlier, it was reported that Barisan Nasional had sought an extension to the deadline.

Umno vice-president Ismail Sabri Yaakob said no negotiations had been held with Perikatan Nasional or Pakatan Harapan and that they could not be finalised by today.