KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian ex-leader Mahathir Mohamad, 92, said Thursday he expects to be sworn in as prime minister within hours, quelling concerns around the succession after his stunning win over the scandal-plagued coalition that has ruled for six decades.
In a huge political upset, Mahathir’s opposition alliance ended the hold on power of the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, which has governed Malaysia uninterrupted since its birth as an independent country in 1957.
It capped a dramatic political comeback for Mahathir, who previously ruled the country with an iron fist for 22 years and came out of retirement to take on Prime Minister Najib Razak after the leader became embroiled in a massive corruption scandal. When he takes power, Mahathir will be the world’s oldest leader.
However, concerns mounted about the transfer of power Thursday morning after Mahathir was not inaugurated by the king, as had been widely expected.
He said there had been some delays due to confusion over certain parts of the constitution but this had now been cleared up, and called for his inauguration to take place by 5:00 pm (0900 GMT).
“We expect today for me to be sworn in as prime minister,” he told a press conference. “There is an urgency here. Currently, there is no government in Malaysia.”
