Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sends resignation letter to king
Updated 3 minutes ago
PHOTO: 94-year-old Prime Minister Mahathir submitted a letter of resignation to Malaysia's King, (AP: Vincent Thian)
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Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's party is leaving Malaysia's governing alliance, while 11 politicians from an ally party have announced they are quitting, in a shocking political upheaval.
Key points:
Mr Mahathir submitted a letter of resignation to
Malaysia's King, his office said on Monday, in a shocking political upheaval less than two years after his election victory.
The fate of Malaysia's ruling coalition had been in doubt after surprise weekend talks between it and opposition groups on forming a new government that would exclude Mr Mahathir's anointed successor Anwar Ibrahim.
"The letter was sent to His Royal Highness the King at 1:00pm," Mr Mahathir's office said in a statement.
Minutes before his resignation was offered, Mr Mahathir's Bersatu party announced it would leave the alliance and support Mr Mahathir as the premier.
Eleven other politicians, including several cabinet ministers, also announced they were quitting Mr Anwar's party.
PHOTO: Malaysia's alliance government is threatening to unravel less than two years after a historic election victory. (AP: Vincent Thian)
With about 50 politicians from Bersatu and Mr Anwar's party leaving the ruling alliance, the manoeuvrers leave doubt whether Mr Anwar has enough support to take power.
On Sunday, Mr Anwar had accused Mr Mahathir's party and "traitors" in his own party of plotting to form a new government with the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the former ruling party ousted in 2018 amid graft accusations.
Sources said Mr Mahathir's party and a faction in Mr Anwar's party met officials from UMNO and Islamist party PAS in efforts to form a new coalition and possibly back Mr Mahathir to serve out a full five-year term as prime minister.
From old rivals and unlikely allies
PHOTO: Mr Mahathir's party was expected to team with his former foes to form a new government and thwart his named successor Anwar Ibrahim from taking power.
(AP: Vincent Thian)
The tussle between old rivals Mr Mahathir, 94, and Mr Anwar, 72, has shaped Malaysian politics for decades and tension has persisted, despite their alliance to win 2018 elections based on a promise Mr Mahathir would one day cede power to Mr Anwar.
Mr Mahathir and Mr Anwar were Malaysia's top two leaders in Mr Mahathir's first stint as premier but fell out politically before reuniting in the political pact that ousted a corruption-tainted government in the May 2018 election.
Mahathir's unlikely ally

Once the most bitter of foes, the incoming Malaysian PM pledges to seek a pardon for his former deputy, who he had jailed for corruption and sodomy in the 1990s, and even allow him to take over the top job within two years, writes Anne Barker.
Their relationship has been testy, with Mr Mahathir refusing to set a date to relinquish power, despite the pre-election agreement.
Mr Anwar said earlier on Monday that he was satisfied the Government's reform agenda would continue. He refused to say more.
Ironically, the manoeuvrers could restore to power the Malay party of
disgraced former leader Najib Razak, who with several of his party leaders are standing trial for corruption.
Malaysian cabinet struck by scandal

Mahathir Mohamad's Government has faced its first major political scandal, after a video appearing to show a cabinet minister having sex with another man was circulated to journalists and widely shared online.
It could also propel to national power a fundamentalist Islamic party that rules two states and champions Islamic laws.
The two Malay parties still have strong support from ethnic Malays, who account for 60 per cent of Malaysia's 32 million people.
Mr Anwar and his wife, Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who is currently the country's deputy prime minister, were due to meet the King on Monday.
Ms Wan Azizah tweeted that "men can plan but Allah decides", urging supporters to believe God would side with those who were patient.
Analysts said King Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah could decide which faction had the majority support in Parliament, or call a snap election.
They warned such a new government could give rise to Malay Islamic supremacy that would derail Malaysia's multi-ethnic society.
"If the new government goes through, Malaysia is heading toward a very regressive stage whereby racial supremacy and religious extremism would become the rule of the day," said Oh Ei Sun, a senior fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
The turmoil, amid growing fears about a spreading coronavirus, had spooked investors, driving Kuala Lumpur's benchmark to a 10-year low, while the ringgit currency slid 0.7 per cent to an almost-six-month low, its sharpest drop in more than three years.