25 February 2020 12:00 am
KUALA LUMPUR AFP Feb24-Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad resigned Monday in a shock move after his political allies sought to bring down the government and block the succession of leader-in-waiting Anwar Ibrahim.
It came after months of rising tensions in the “Pact of Hope” coalition, which stormed to a shock victory in 2018 against a corruption-plagued government that had ruled Malaysia for six decades.
But there were calls for Mahathir, the world’s oldest leader at 94, to stay in office from allies who insisted he had not backed the formation of a new government and had quit in disgust at the plot.
The political drama began on Sunday when Anwar’s rivals from the ruling coalition and opposition politicians held a series of meetings around Kuala Lumpur, stoking speculation a new alliance was taking shape.