Malaysia PM Muhyiddin to resign on Monday, Malay reports
If
confirmed, Muhyiddin's resignation would end a tumultuous 17 months in office
but also bring more uncertainty to Malaysia as the country grapples with
surging COVID-19 cases and an economic downturn.
It was not
immediately clear who could form the next government, given there is no clear
majority in parliament, or whether elections could be held during the pandemic.
It would
be up to the constitutional monarch, King Al-Sultan Abdullah, to decide what
happens next.
Muhyiddin
will submit his resignation to the king on Monday, according to Mohd Redzuan Md
Yusof, a minister in the prime minister's department, Malaysiakini reported on
Sunday.
Reuters
could not reach Mohd Redzuan and the prime minister's office did not
immediately respond to a request for comment.
Malaysiakini
quoted Mohd Redzuan as saying that Muhyiddin informed party members of his decision to resign after exhausting all other options to sustain the
government.
"Tomorrow,
there will be a special cabinet meeting. After that, he will head to (the
palace) to submit his resignation," Mohd Redzuan told Malaysiakini.
Muhyiddin's grip on power has been precarious since he took office in March 2020 with a
slim majority. Pressure on him mounted recently after some lawmakers from the
United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party - the largest bloc in the
ruling alliance - withdrew support.
The
premier had for weeks defied calls to quit and said he would prove his majority
in parliament through a confidence vote in September.
Malaysia's
Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin reacts during a session of the lower house of
parliament, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng
But on
Friday Muhyiddin admitted for the first time that he did not have a majority
and made a last-ditch effort to woo the opposition by promising political and
electoral reforms in exchange for support on the confidence vote. The offer was
rejected unanimously.
The king
has the constitutional power to appoint a prime minister from among elected
lawmakers based on who he thinks can command a majority.
Oh Ei
Sun, a senior fellow with Singapore's Institute of International Affairs, said
the king could also appoint an interim premier until a permanent successor is
found.
The
premier would then have to face a confidence vote in parliament, he said.
POTENTIAL
SUCCESSORS
Potential
candidates for the premiership or interim prime minister include deputy prime
Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob and veteran lawmaker Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah, both
from the UMNO party. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim could also stake a claim.
UMNO, Malaysia's "grand old party", governed the country for more
then 60 years from independence until its 2018 election defeat after widespread
corruption allegations.
It
returned to power in 2020 as part of Muhyiddin's coalition. It is the biggest
bloc in the coalition but did not hold the premiership post, which played a
part in the alliance infighting.
Muhyiddin
has said the recent turmoil was because of his refusal to meet demands
including the dropping of corruption charges against some individuals.
UMNO
politicians including former premier Najib Razak and party president Ahmad
Zahid Hamidi is facing graft charges. They have denied wrongdoing and were
among those who withdrew support for Muhyiddin this month.
report by A. Ananthalakshmi and Mei Mei Chu Editing by Kim Coghill, David Goodman, and nihar, njtiptop.com.