Malaysia’s King names Anwar Ibrahim as PM

Malaysia’s King has named Pakatan Harapan (PH) chief Anwar Ibrahim as the country’s new Prime Minister. The Palace in a statement announced that the decision was taken after King held discussions with other rulers in a special meeting of the nation’s nine state monarchs, The Straits Times reported.
Anwar Ibrahim will be sworn in as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister on Thursday at 5 pm (local time). Royal Comptroller Fadli Shamsuddin in a statement said, “After going through the views of the Malay rulers, His Majesty has consented to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister,” according to The Straits Times report. Ibrahim’s rise to the post of Malaysia’s Prime Minister comes after he was sacked as deputy premier in 1998 amid allegations of sodomy and abuse of power. The new government in Malaysia is set to be formed in Malaysia, five days after a general election.
The announcement regarding Malaysia’s Prime Minister comes after the majority of parties agreed to King Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah’s proposal for a unity government. The development comes as Parti Keadilan Rakyat President Anwar Ibrahim and his rival Perikatan Nasional (PN) chief Muhyiddin Yassin were not on the same page and were unable to gather the support of 112 MPs required for a majority in the legislature, according to the news report.
On Thursday, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party expressed readiness to become part of a unity government, taking a different stance from the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition’s previous position of remaining in opposition. Other political parties in Malaysia also took the stance taken by UMNO. On Thursday, PN also announced that it would consider unity government discussions with like-minded political parties.