Malaysians, it’s official. Anwar Ibrahim will be your 10th Prime Minister.
The decision comes days after Malaysia’s political parties were at an impasse following the 15th general election, as neither bloc secured the simple majority of 112 seats to form a government.
Mr Anwar speaking to reporters on 22 Nov evening after his meeting with the King.
Source: Anwar Ibrahim on Facebook
According to a statement issued by the national palace, the Malaysian King had held a special meeting with the other rulers to reaffirm his decision for the sake of the nation’s interests.
“After considering the opinions of the Malay rulers, His Majesty has decided to appoint Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim as Malaysia’s 10th Prime Minister.”
Mr Anwar, the 75-year-old chairman of Pakatan Harapan, will be sworn in at 5pm today (24 Nov).
Before the official announcement, media reports cited Umno saying that they would form a unity government — one that’s not led by Perikatan Nasional.
The appointment as Prime Minister ends Mr Anwar’s 24-year wait for the country’s top leadership position.
His long journey in politics has seen many ups and downs. Notably, he was Deputy Prime Minister in 1993 until allegations of sodomy started surfacing, effectively destroying his political career. He was fired from the Cabinet in 1998, and eventually served time in prison.
Mr Anwar made a comeback in 2008 as the leader of Malaysia’s opposition.
He partnered with Malaysia’s 4th prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former deputy prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin, which saw the Pakatan Harapan coalition sliding to a historic win in the 2018 general election.
Both parties had agreed that Dr Mahathir would serve as prime minister, while Mr Anwar was expected to take over later. However, in 2020, Dr Mahathir resigned, and the Pakatan Harapan government soon crumbled.
Mr Muhyiddin successfully formed a new coalition Perikatan Nasional by receiving support from enough MPs to form a majority government. He was appointed Prime Minister on 1 Mar 2020.
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Featured image adapted from Anwar Ibrahim on Facebook.
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