Malaysia’s opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim to be next PM

ISTANBUL – Malaysia’s Council of Rulers on Thursday decided to back opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as the country’s 10th prime minister.

The decision came after a meeting of the nine-member Council of Rulers, led by King Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, in Kuala Lumpur after days of political deadlock.

Former deputy prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim, 75, will be sworn in as Malaysia’s prime minister at 5 p.m. (0900 GMT) Thursday, the Malaysiakini news website reported.

Results of Malaysia’s 15th general elections held on November 19 threw up a hung parliament with the Ibrahim-led Alliance of Hope, or Pakatan Harapan (PH), securing most seats in the parliament but short of forming a government on its own.

The PH secured 82 seats while the former prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin-led National Alliance or Perikatan Nasional (PN) got 73 seats.

The King had met the two leaders on Tuesday and suggested a unity government, but Yassin rejected it.

Later, the monarch called eight other council members for a meeting to end the deadlock.

Support from the National Front, or Barisan Nasional, with 30 lawmakers, is seen to be a decisive factor in the new setup.

Another bloc Sarawak Parties Alliance, or Gabungan Parti Sarawak, with 23 seats had indicated it would support the Yassin-led group but was indecisive.

Any party or alliance will have to secure the support of at least 112 lawmakers in a 222-seat house to be the leader of the parliament. (Anadolu)