ISLAMABAD – In a shocking move, Malaysian PM Mahathir Mohamad resigns fromhis office.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has submitted a letter ofresignation to the country’s king, his office said on Monday.
The fate of Malaysia’s ruling coalition had been in doubt after weekendtalks between some of its members and opposition groups on forming a newgovernment that would exclude Mahathir’s anointed successor Anwar Ibrahim.
The pair had joined forces to win the 2018 election and oust thelong-running United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), in an alliancebased on a promise that Mahathir would cede power to Anwar.
The tussle between Mahathir, who at 94 is the world’s oldest primeminister, and Anwar, 72, has shaped Malaysian politics for decades andtension has persisted.
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“The letter has been sent to His Royal Highness the King at 1pm,”Mahathir’s office said in a statement.
Anwar was due to meet with the king at 0600 GMT. It was not clear if he hadthe political support to stake a claim on forming a government.
It was also not immediately clear what the king’s next step would be andwhether Mahathir could form another government with the support of otherparties, including UMNO.
