Anwar Ibrahim, Malaysia's new prime minister, has vowed to fight corruption and pledged not to take a salary as Malaysians battle rising costs of living.
Anwar's long-time rival Mahathir Mohamad also congratulated him on social media. In a change of tides, the former strongman, who led Malaysia for decades, lost his parliamentary seat in the latest election.
Malaysia's Anwar Ibrahim takes his first press conference after being appointed prime minister. His wife, Wan Azizah is on his right.When asked about China during the press conference, Anwar said that he would build on the relationship with China just like he would with other countries. The risky move comes as his rival Muhyiddin Yassin, and leader of competing coalition Perikatan Nasional, continues to challenge him on proof that he had majority support.Anwar confirmed during the press conference that in addition to the seats his coalition won, he also received support from Barisan Nasional which won 30 seats and Gabungan Parti Sarawak which won 23 seats. That takes him past the 112-seat simple majority needed to form a government.
"So I think that there does need to be some sort of effort to go across and establish why these people voted the way they did, and where there is common ground."
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