Malaysian Prime Minister submits resignation

Mr. Mahathir Mohamad (left) and Mr. Anwar Ibrahim. Photo: Getty

The resignation was submitted at 1 p.m. local time, Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's office confirmed in a brief statement. Shortly before his resignation, Mahathir's Bersatu party also confirmed that it had withdrawn from the four-party ruling Alliance of Hope, which unexpectedly ousted the government of former leader Najib Razak in 2018.

According to DW, in the ruling coalition agreement, 94-year-old leader Mahathir promised that his longtime rival Anwar Ibrahim would succeed him as prime minister within 1-2 years. However, speculation has emerged over the weekend that Bersatu is trying to form a new government and sabotage Ibrahim's succession efforts. This move by Bersatu is believed to create conditions for Mahathir, the world's oldest prime minister, to continue in power for the full 5-year term.

Mahathir, who first served as prime minister from 1981 to 2003, has repeatedly refused to talk about a timetable for handing over power, according to the source. His delays have reignited a decades-long feud with 72-year-old Anwar, who was Malaysia’s top leader during Mahathir’s early years as prime minister but had different political views.

On February 23, Mr. Anwar criticized his coalition partners as “traitors” for invalidating their historic election victory, which ousted another coalition that had ruled Malaysia since its independence. Mr. Anwar, who had been a symbol of the opposition, also met the Malaysian king on February 24.

It is unclear what the king's next move will be and whether Mahathir will be able to form another government with the support of other parties, including UMNO, Reuters reported. A source close to Bersatu said that if no group has more than 112 seats to form a majority in parliament, there could be a call for new elections.