Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad lost a power struggle on Saturday with a little-known ex-interior minister named as the country’s new prime minister in a surprise twist that returns a scandal-plagued party to power.
Muhyiddin Yassin will be sworn in as the country’s new prime minister on Sunday, royal officials said, after a week of turmoil that followed the collapse of a reformist government and Mahathir’s resignation as premier.
Muhyiddin is seen as a more acceptable candidate as he was willing to work with the United Malays National Organisation, where several leaders including ex-prime minister Najib Razak are on trial for corruption charges.
The United Malays National Organisation and its allies, including a fundamentalist Islamic party with strong rural support, have thrown their support behind Muhyiddin, putting him as a frontrunner in the battle for power. Much depends on two parties on Borneo island, that holds a bloc of votes.—AP/AFP