Malaysia’s Dr Mahathir quits as premier

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, at 94 the world's oldest leader, submitted his resignation to the king on Monday (Feb 24) his office said. The decision came after a bid by his political partners to bring down the government. which did not materialise on Sunday. - The Star/ANN

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 24 (The Star/ANN): In an unexpected turn of events, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has quit as the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

His letter of resignation was delivered to the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong (the King) of Malaysia at 1pm at the Palace on Monday (Feb 24).

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail could be Malaysia’s first woman prime minister following Dr Mahathir’s resignation after pro-Mahathir groups failed to form a backdoor government to prolong Mahathir’s stay as premier.

The political uncertainty that has clouded Malaysia for some time is mainly fuelled by the reluctance by Dr Mahathir to step down in favour of Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, as agreed to by all parties in his coalition government before they won the general election in May 2018.

Anwar is the leader of PKR, a senior partner in the ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition. Dr Mahathir’s party Bersatu is the smallest. - The Star/Asian News Network