Mahathir, 92, expects to be sworn in as PM
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) — Malaysian ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 92, said yesterday he expects to be sworn in as prime minister within hours, quelling concerns around the succession after his stunning win over the scandal-plagued coalition that has ruled for six decades.
In a huge political upset, Mahathir’s opposition alliance ended the hold on power of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has governed Malaysia uninterrupted since its birth as an independent country in 1957.
It capped a dramatic political comeback for Mahathir, who previously ruled the country with an iron fist for 22 years and came out of retirement to take on Prime Minister Najib Razak after the leader became embroiled in a massive corruption scandal.
When he takes power, Mahathir will be the world’s oldest leader.
However, concerns mounted about the transfer of power yesterday morning after Mahathir was not inaugurated by the king, as had been widely expected.
He said there had been some delays due to confusion over certain parts of the constitution but this had now been cleared up, and called for his inauguration to take place.
“We expect today for me to be sworn in as prime minister,” he told a press conference.
“There is an urgency here. Currently there is no government in Malaysia.”
His speech came after Najib, in his first public comments since his shock loss, said he accepted the people’s will — but did not give a clear concession, and said that it was up to the king to decide on the prime minister as no single party had won a clear majority.
“I accept the verdict of the people and BN is committed to the principles of democracy,” said the leader, looking shattered.
Analysts warned he could be trying to buy time to win defections from other parties over to BN, in what would be a desperate bid to cling to power despite a landslide defeat.
To claim a simple majority in parliament, a party or coalition would require 112 seats.
The opposition alliance, Pact of Hope, along with a small ally on Borneo island, won 121. BN won just 79 — down from 133 previously.
However, official Election Commission listed the scores for the alliance’s separate component parties when they released the results, not the overall score for the alliance as a whole.
The opposition faced an uphill battle at the election due to what critics said were no-holds-barred attempts by Najib to hang on to power.