Malaysia's king urges party leaders to work together in search for new PM

Malaysia's King Al-Sultan Abdullah has met leaders of political parties, asking them to work together to address the economic and health woes facing the country and search for a new prime minister.

Addressing the party leaders at a meeting in the monarch's palace on Tuesday, Abdullah stressed that the new prime minister had to have a majority in the parliament and that "the shape of politics must change."

After meeting the monarch, opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told reporters that the king urged them to end their political bickering, stressing that the new leader should not be vindictive and that all parties must cooperate in tackling the pandemic and reviving the economy.

"The issue was not just about appointing a new prime minister, but what's more important that was stressed by the king is to come up with a form of politics that is more peaceful for the people," Ibrahim explained.

Former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin declared his resignation on Monday after months of political infighting within his coalition government, which saw him lose the confidence of the majority of legislators. He was then asked by King Abdullah to remain in charge as caretaker prime minister until a new government is formed.

Malaysia's PM Muhyiddin tenders resignation amid political turmoil

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin submits resignation after months of political infighting within his coalition government.

The king had previously ruled out elections due to the pandemic, saying he would appoint a prime minister from among elected lawmakers.

Accordingly, the speaker of the Malaysian parliament, Azhar Azizan Harun, asked lawmakers on Tuesday to submit separate letters to the palace indicating their choice of the next prime minister by Wednesday afternoon.

At present, no lawmaker or single political party has a majority in the parliament. The opposition bloc and United Malays National Organization (UMNO), Malaysia's biggest party, are split on support for their prime ministerial candidates. A successful candidate will have to forge a coalition.

Malaysia plunged into a state of political turmoil after former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad unexpectedly resigned from his post last year. Muhyiddin assumed power in March 2020, putting together a coalition with political parties that were defeated in the polls, including UMNO, which governed the Southeast Asian country for more than 60 years since independence. However, that alliance was also fragile, and a constant tussle with UMNO prompted Muhyiddin's resignation after just 17 months in office.

Muhyiddin was also heavily criticized for his handling of a worsening coronavirus outbreak in the country, which has seen a surge in COVID-19 infections and an economic downturn from multiple lockdowns. Malaysia has one of the world's highest infection rates and deaths per capita, with daily cases breaching 20,000 this month.

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