Mahathir to be Malaysian PM candidate again

Malaysia’s Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday he has agreed to be the prime ministerial candidate of the former ruling coalition, which collapsed this week when he resigned as prime minister.

“I am now confident that I have the numbers needed to garner majority support in (parliament),” Mahathir, now the interim prime minister, said in a statement, after meeting leaders of the Pakatan Harapan coalition.

“I am therefore prepared to stand as prospective candidate for prime minister,” he said.

Earlier, on Monday, 94-year-old Mahathir Mohamad resigned as prime minister, plunging the country into political turmoil less than two years after a surprise election victory.

Mahathir did not explain, but the decision followed surprise talks the previous weekend between members of his coalition and the opposition on forming a new government.