Reformist opposition Anwar Ibrahim has been named Malaysia’s prime minister, according to what the royal palace announced yesterday, ending the country’s uncertainty following the failure of any opposition coalition and its rival bloc to win a majority in Saturday’s legislative election.
And the royal palace issued a statement saying that opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been named “Malaysia’s tenth prime minister” as he was sworn in yesterday at 5 pm.
Thus, Anwar Ibrahim (75) fulfilled his dream of becoming prime minister, a dream that had accompanied him for 25 years, ending a turbulent political process.
And at the end of last week, the opposition Pakatan Harapan (Coalition of Hope) led by Anwar Ibrahim won 82 out of 222 seats in the House of Representatives, compared to 73 for the Periktan National Alliance, led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.
On Monday, Anwar Ibrahim began negotiations with the ruling Barisan Nasional party. This alliance, led by the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), came in third with 30 seats, the worst electoral result since the country’s independence in 1957.
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak, implicated in embezzling several billion dollars from the state wealth fund, is currently serving a 12-year prison sentence.
The Omno National Organization party returned to power with a narrow majority in 2021, taking advantage of conflicts between the two successive governments.
The 1MDB Sovereign Wealth Fund scandal involves the widespread embezzlement of the fund’s money, which was supposed to contribute to the development of the country, but was eventually transferred to the bank account of Najib Razak.
Investigations have been launched in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, where it is suspected that financial institutions have been used to launder billions of dollars.
