Malaysia's Mahathir Says Expects to Be Sworn In as PM Thursday
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad said he expects to be sworn in as prime minister on Thursday because his opposition coalition has the support of the majority of members of parliament.
Mahathir said his coalition will have the support of 135 members of Malaysia’s 222-seat parliament, after Wednesday’s general election, and is entitled to form a government.
“There is an urgency here, we need to form the government now, today,” Mahathir told reporters.
Mahathir’s bloc defeated the long-ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in the Wednesday polls. The BN has ruled since Malaysia’s independence from Britain, nearly 60 years ago.
Mahathir was once Najib’s mentor but they clashed after differences over the 1MDB graft scandal, in which billions of dollars were allegedly siphoned off to foreign countries.
The scandal is being investigated by at least six countries, although Malaysia’s attorney general cleared Najib of any wrongdoing.
Mahathir vowed to investigate the scandal if elected and to bring the funds back to Malaysia.
