Malaysia has selected the oldest prime minister ever in the world for itself in a stunning election result.
92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as the seventh prime minister of the country on Thursday after a bitterly fought election.
The outgoing prime minister Najib Razak is a onetime protégé of the former PM Mahathir Mohamad and who was defeated by Mohammad after he came out of his retirement from politics to fight the elections.
The ruling party - Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition – enjoying power in Malaysia since its independence in 1957, was defeated for the first time by the opposition.
After the results were out, Najib has said he will "accept the verdict of the people". However, many feared that a smooth transition of power might not have bene possible. But that did not happen.
No single political party in the opposition coalition managed to gain a clear majority and therefore the decision to appoint a prime minister became the prerogative of the King of the country according to its constitution.
"Yes, yes, I am still alive," Mahathir told a news conference in the early hours of Thursday. While no revenge would be sought by the coalition, the new opposition government would "restore the rule of law".
Victory in 113 of the 222 seats that were contested went to the opposition Pakatan Harapan – or the Alliance of Hope. That list included some seats that have always been won by the ruling BN party which ended up with 79 seats.
The drivers for the shocking victory for the opposition is being accorded – at least in part to the long-running allegations of corruption against the Najib government and the rising living costs in the country.
"I feel that with this change we probably can see something better in the future," Suva Selvan, a 48-year-old doctor, told AFP news agency. "Our hope for the future is a better government, fair, free and united."
It was form 1981 till 2003 that Mahathir himself was the prime minister and the head of the BN coalition.
The Malaysian economy saw rapid development under his leadership in the 1990s. However, he was severely criticized both in the country and outside of being an authoritarian leader who tweaked security laws and locked up his opponents in jail.
Mahathir was the one who had virtually brought Najib to become the prime minister of the country in 2008.
The accusation of siphoning off $700 million from the state-owned investment fund - 1Malaysian Development Berhad, against Najib bared down heavily against him in this election, many observers believe. Najib has however been vehemently dismissing all of the allegations against him and a stet inducted inquiry in to the allegations have given a clean chit to Najib.
Saying that he was "embarrassed" to be associated "with a party that is seen as supporting corruption", Mahathir' had surprised many as he defected from the BN in 2016 and joined the Pakatan Harapan. He announced his candidature for the elections in January this year.
(Source:www.bbc.com)
92-year-old Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as the seventh prime minister of the country on Thursday after a bitterly fought election.
The outgoing prime minister Najib Razak is a onetime protégé of the former PM Mahathir Mohamad and who was defeated by Mohammad after he came out of his retirement from politics to fight the elections.
The ruling party - Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition – enjoying power in Malaysia since its independence in 1957, was defeated for the first time by the opposition.
After the results were out, Najib has said he will "accept the verdict of the people". However, many feared that a smooth transition of power might not have bene possible. But that did not happen.
No single political party in the opposition coalition managed to gain a clear majority and therefore the decision to appoint a prime minister became the prerogative of the King of the country according to its constitution.
"Yes, yes, I am still alive," Mahathir told a news conference in the early hours of Thursday. While no revenge would be sought by the coalition, the new opposition government would "restore the rule of law".
Victory in 113 of the 222 seats that were contested went to the opposition Pakatan Harapan – or the Alliance of Hope. That list included some seats that have always been won by the ruling BN party which ended up with 79 seats.
The drivers for the shocking victory for the opposition is being accorded – at least in part to the long-running allegations of corruption against the Najib government and the rising living costs in the country.
"I feel that with this change we probably can see something better in the future," Suva Selvan, a 48-year-old doctor, told AFP news agency. "Our hope for the future is a better government, fair, free and united."
It was form 1981 till 2003 that Mahathir himself was the prime minister and the head of the BN coalition.
The Malaysian economy saw rapid development under his leadership in the 1990s. However, he was severely criticized both in the country and outside of being an authoritarian leader who tweaked security laws and locked up his opponents in jail.
Mahathir was the one who had virtually brought Najib to become the prime minister of the country in 2008.
The accusation of siphoning off $700 million from the state-owned investment fund - 1Malaysian Development Berhad, against Najib bared down heavily against him in this election, many observers believe. Najib has however been vehemently dismissing all of the allegations against him and a stet inducted inquiry in to the allegations have given a clean chit to Najib.
Saying that he was "embarrassed" to be associated "with a party that is seen as supporting corruption", Mahathir' had surprised many as he defected from the BN in 2016 and joined the Pakatan Harapan. He announced his candidature for the elections in January this year.
(Source:www.bbc.com)
