Malaysian King appoints Muhyiddin Yassin as country's new prime minister trumping Mahathir Mohamad's renomination with coalition partner Anwar Ibrahim
Muhyiddin Yassin , president of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia or Malaysian United Indigenous Party, arrives at the party headquarters in Kuala Lumpur on February 24, 2020.
Mahathir struck a new deal early Saturday to work with his former ruling alliance led by rival Anwar Ibrahim to thwart Muhyiddin's plan but failed. Mahathir didn't make clear in the statement if he was restoring the former alliance, which won a stunning victory in May 2018 elections. That victory ousted a ruling coalition, once led by Mahathir, that had governed Malaysia since independence in 1957 but had become entangled in a widespread corruption scandal.
“For the sake of defending the struggle, the Alliance of Hope expresses its full support for Mahathir Mohamad as prime minister,” it said. UMNO 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.
Local media said the king will meet leaders of all political parties Saturday to let them nominate their prime minster candidate. Muhyiddin and leaders from his faction were the first seen at the palace.
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