February 26, 2020

All Eyes on Malaysia’s King With Power Hanging in the Balance
(Bloomberg) -- Malaysia’s monarchy is taking center stage as the country awaits a resolution to a four-day power struggle pitting Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad against long-time rival Anwar Ibrahim.The king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, has spent the past two days speaking to lawmakers to determine who has the support of the majority after Mahathir’s resignation on Monday due to bickering in the coalition. The monarch could announce the name of Malaysia’s next prime minister as soon as Thursday or decide to push for an election. Mahathir was expected to meet the king at noon.The spotlight on the king is unusual. The Malay rulers usually stay on the sidelines, stepping in only to perform ceremonial functions like swearing in ministers or pardoning criminal convicts. After Mahathir’s shock election win in May 2018, the then-king made him wait nearly an entire day to be sworn in as prime minister.This time, the uncertainty is worsened by shifting alliances among a range of political parties divided largely on racial and religious lines.Mahathir said Wednesday he would return to power if enough lawmakers back him. The former ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition, which now commands 41% of seats in parliament after Mahathir’s party left, announced it would back Anwar as premier.Rotational MonarchyOn Thursday, opposition parties United Malays National Organisation and the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, making up more than a quarter of the house, denied a report they would back Muhyiddin Yassin -- an ally of Mahathir -- as prime minister. A few regional parties who could shift the balance of power haven’t stated publicly who they would support.Malaysia’s rotational monarchy dates back to the British colonial era when the Conference of Rulers were set up to be composed of the rulers of nine Malay states. The position of the king is passed among the rulers, with each term lasting five years.The current king, Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad, ascended the throne last year after the previous monarch stepped down in an unprecedented abdication. Sultan Abdullah is the ruler of Pahang state, the birth place of former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is facing corruption charges he denies.Mahathir clashed with the royalty when he ran the country in the 1990s, removing their legal immunity and scrapping laws barring people from criticizing the king. Anwar appears to have warmer ties with the royalty. The former king pardoned him a week after Mahathir’s election win in 2018, and asked his wife, then-Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, if she wanted to become the premier.(Updates with parties denying reports on Muhyiddin)\--With assistance from Hadi Azmi.To contact the reporters on this story: Anisah Shukry in Kuala Lumpur at ashukry2@bloomberg.net;Yantoultra Ngui in Kuala Lumpur at yngui@bloomberg.netTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Daniel Ten Kate at dtenkate@bloomberg.netFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.
Related Stories
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Ruby Franke’s Husband REVEALS Alleged Rules He Had to Follow at Home | E! News
March 28, 2024
_mU-3lE2QwI
#KenanThompson speaks out following the #QuietonSet documentary. (🎥: Tamron Hall Show) #shorts
March 28, 2024
8AGP-Gfw_Ek
King Charles Shares "Great Sadness" at Missing Royal Appearance | E! News
March 28, 2024
lyizFqf1kQY
Martha Reeves Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 27, 2024
QzyezumEPtQ
Eminem, 50 Cent & Snoop Dogg Present Dr. Dre with a Star on the Walk of Fame
March 19, 2024
4bNLs1hxVp8
Opening Remarks for the Variety Summit October 20th, 2023 Jay Penske
March 18, 2024
c6Z707iLq8E
Montell Jordan Dishes On Young MC Wedding, 'This Is How Date Night' Plans | TMZ
March 28, 2024
G3SMExj-qio
Davina Potratz Says TV Not Helping 'Selling Sunset' Relationship Woes | TMZ
March 28, 2024
D4piy4GNm4k
Logan Paul Rips Graham Bensinger Over Documentary, You Promised Apple TV+ | TMZ Live
March 28, 2024
NiSDpZhZklQ
Prince William pinned royal medal to Spice Girl Mel B’s boobs #shorts
March 28, 2024
O1cQ0UW9pco
Jennifer Garner shares ‘hard’ part of raising her and Ben Affleck’s kids
March 28, 2024
3Q7mZaVUdgc
50 Cent's ex Daphne Joy named as an alleged sex worker in Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs lawsuit #shorts
March 28, 2024
yhLFI8DG9rM
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
PSG W - Hacken W
28
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Barcelona W - SK Brann W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Chelsea W - Ajax W
27
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Playoffs - Women
Lyon W - SL Benfica W
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.