Saturday’s general elections ended in an unprecedented parliamentary suspension, and neither of the two major alliances, led by Anwar Ibrahim and former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, was immediately able to secure enough parliamentary seats to form a government.
According to the Sultan’s Palace, Malaysian rival leader Anwar Ibrahim was selected as prime minister on Thursday. Anwar’s appointment concludes a 30-year journey from heir to sodomy inmate to the longtime leader of the opposition.
The 75-year-old has repeatedly been denied the premiership despite being within reach over the years. He was Deputy Prime Minister in the 1990s and the official Prime Minister in 2018.
Meanwhile, he spent nearly 10 years in prison for sodomy and corruption on charges he says were politically motivated to end his career.
