KAULA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 94, on Monday submitted his resignation to the king.

Mahathir’s resignation comes amid rumors that he is likely to form a new coalition.

Meanwhile, Tun Dr Mahathir’s Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM), which has 26 MPs, announced today it has left the PH coalition.

Likewise, 11 MPs from Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) have also quit the party to form an independent bloc.

The exit of these lawmakers has left PH short of simple majority in Parliament, meaning the current government has effectively fallen.

The resignation move is likely to have been tactical, with a view to undoing the PH transition agreement under which Anwar was supposed to replace the 94-year-old Dr Mahathir before the next election due in 2023.

Dr Mahathir will meet with the King at 5pm today, following his resignation. He has also resigned from his position as chairman of PPBM.

Monday’s developments are in line with reports on Sunday that Dr Mahathir is planning to replace Malaysia’s ruling pact with a wider coalition that includes opposition parties Umno and PAS, but could leave out his PH allies.

The four-party PH coalition had comprised multiracial PKR, the Chinese-led Democratic Action Party (DAP), Dr Mahathir’s Malay-based PPBM, and Parti Amanah Negara, a moderate Islamic party.

It is understood that Tun Dr Mahathir has corralled support of a majority of lawmakers in Parliament after a flurry of party meetings on Sunday (Feb 23) but has yet to receive the nod from Malaysia’s King to engineer his new so-called backdoor government.

A new coalition will need at least 112 MPs – a majority of the 222 seats in Parliament – to form a government.
Both Umno and PAS have previously backed Dr Mahathir to stay on as prime minister, amidst calls from Mr Anwar’s supporters for him to make way for his designated successor Mr Anwar.

It is said that the new government, if successfully formed, will comprise 41 MPs from BN, 26 from PPBM, 18 from PAS, nine from PH ally Parti Warisan Sabah, 19 from opposition Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS), and 10 from PKR, totalling 123 MPs.

Nonagenarian Mahathir had come into power in 2018 by ousting the then-prime minister Najib Razak.

(With inputs from Agencies)