KUALA LUMPUR, 24 February 2020 (AP) : Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad tendered his resignation to Malaysia’s king Monday while his political party quit the ruling alliance in a shocking political upheaval less than two years after his election victory.
The prime minister’s office said in a brief statement that Mahathir submitted his resignation to the palace at 1 p.m. but gave no further details.
The stunning turn of events come amid plans by Mahathir supporters to team with opposition parties to form a new government and thwart the transition of power to his named successor Anwar Ibrahim, replaying their decades-old feud.
Minutes before his resignation was offered, Mahathir’s Bersatu party announced it would leave the alliance and support Mahathir as the premier. Eleven other lawmakers, including several Cabinet ministers, also announced they are quitting Anwar’s party.
With some 50 lawmakers from Bersatu and Anwar’s party leaving the ruling alliance, the maneuvers leave doubt whether Anwar has enough support to take power.
Mahathir and Anwar were Malaysia’s top two leaders in Mahathir’s first stint as premier but fell out politically before reuniting in the political pact that ousted a corruption-tainted government in the May 2018 election. Their relationship has been testy, with Mahathir refusing to set a date to relinquish power despite a preelection agreement to hand over power.