KUALA LUMPUR: Ousted Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said on Saturday (May 12) he has resigned as the president of the United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) and chairman of the Barisan National coalition.
"I have a moral responsibility to step down," he said at the party's Supreme Council meeting.
UMNO vice-president and former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take over as acting president, while the party's youth leader and former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein will stand in as deputy president, Najib said.
Earlier, Zahid told Channel NewsAsia that Najib will announce at the meeting his decision to step down.
Speculation has been mounting about Najib's future after the Barisan Nasional coalition was toppled in Wednesday's hard-fought elections, ending their 61-year rule of the country.
Najib has been accused of overseeing the looting of billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB in an audacious scheme of fraud and money-laundering. Both Najib and the fund deny any wrongdoing.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/najib-razak-steps-down-umno-president-10227580
"I have a moral responsibility to step down," he said at the party's Supreme Council meeting.
UMNO vice-president and former deputy prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take over as acting president, while the party's youth leader and former defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein will stand in as deputy president, Najib said.
Earlier, Zahid told Channel NewsAsia that Najib will announce at the meeting his decision to step down.
Speculation has been mounting about Najib's future after the Barisan Nasional coalition was toppled in Wednesday's hard-fought elections, ending their 61-year rule of the country.
Najib has been accused of overseeing the looting of billions of dollars from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB in an audacious scheme of fraud and money-laundering. Both Najib and the fund deny any wrongdoing.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/najib-razak-steps-down-umno-president-10227580
