Malaysia’s Mahathir sworn in as world’s oldest leader

Kuala Lumpur, May 10 

Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as Malaysia's seventh PM on Thursday following his stunning election victory over the coalition that has ruled the Southeast Asian nation for six decades since independence from Britain.

Malaysia's constitutional monarch, Sultan Muhammad V, administered the oath of office just before 10 pm (1400 GMT), in a ceremony carried live on state television from the palace.

Mahathir, 92, was dressed in a traditional black “baju melayu” tunic and sarong, with an Islamic cap on his head. He is the oldest elected leader in the world.

Hundreds of Malaysians were lined up on the road leading to the palace, waving party flags and cheering. The Election Commission announced the result long before dawn and there was some consternation in the capital over the time taken to swear in the new PM.

“There is an urgency here, we need to form the government now, today,” Mahathir told a news conference earlier in the day, where he insisted that he would be sworn in on Thursday.

Mahathir ruled Malaysia with an iron fist from 1981 to 2003. He came out of retirement to take on his former protege, Najib Razak, who was PM for nearly a decade.

Mahathir's alliance of four parties trounced Najib's Barisan Nasional (BN), the first time it had ever lost an election.

Official results showed that Mahathir's coalition won 121 seats, comfortably more than the 112 required to rule. But it has not been formally registered as an alliance.

Mahathir repeated a promise to repeal a goods and services tax (GST) introduced by Najib and review foreign investments, including major infrastructure projects that are part of China's Belt and Road initiative.

Mahathir joined hands with jailed political leader Anwar Ibrahim, his one-time deputy he famously fell out with in 1998. Mahathir said that one of his first actions would be to seek a royal pardon for Anwar. Before the poll he had promised to step aside once Anwar was free and let him become PM. — Reuters

Delight and disbelief: Malaysians celebrate ousting scandal-hit PM    

• Delight, disbelief and a degree of apprehension about a former strongman taking the reins of power again-Malaysians were stunned today after the scandal-ridden coalition was finally unseated by a challenge from Mahathir Mohamad, 92
• It was a stunning-and totally unexpected-win for the nonagenarian, who had ruled Malaysia with an iron fist and came out of retirement due to an explosive corruption scandal that ensnared PMNajib Razak (pic)
• Most Malaysians, who turned out in droves to vote out Najib, were delighted but huge crowds did not hit the streets to celebrate-many were simply exhausted after a bitter election campaign and the gargantuan effort of pushing out a deeply entrenched government

Mahathir’s befitting reply to his protégé

• Mahathir Mohamad ruled Malaysia with an iron fist from 1981 to 2003 and now, with a second innings at the age of 92, is set to become the oldest elected leader in the world
• His alliance of four parties trounced the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition of Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was once Mahathir’s protege but became his most bitter rival
• Mahathir and Najib were once allies but they clashed over a scandal around 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund from which billions of dollars were allegedly siphoned off
• The 1MDB affair is being investigated by at least six countries, although Najib has denied any wrongdoing and has been cleared by Malaysia’s attorney-general
• Mahathir had vowed to investigate the scandal if elected and bring missing funds back to Malaysia. On Thursday he said that if Najib had done anything wrong he would “face the consequences”