Malaysia’s Mahathir unexpectedly quit as prime minister — but he could come back
Mahathir Mohamad, a 94-year-old Malaysian politician, unexpectedly quit on Monday — leaving Malaysia in a political limbo and setting the stage for an unprecedented scramble among political parties seeking to form the next government.
Mahathir’s resignation from the highest political office in Malaysia set off events that broke apart a coalition of parties that ruled the country for less than two years. The political alliance, Pakatan Harapan, unexpectedly won the last general elections in 2018, after overthrowing a rival coalition that had governed Malaysia for 61 years before that.
But Mahathir was appointed interim prime minister by the Malaysian king hours after he submitted his resignation — a development that some analysts said has set the veteran politician up to be the kingmaker of Malaysia’s political future.
As interim premier, Mahathir will continue to oversee administrative matters in the country until the appointment of a new prime minister and cabinet.
Who is Mahathir?
What led to the resignation?
What’s next for Malaysia?
This article first appeared in CNBC on February 25,2020.
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