Anwar Ibrahim was appointed by King Sultan Abdullah; elections were held on 19 November
Anwar Ibrahim, leader of the Malaysian opposition, took office this Thursday (24.Nov.2022) as the country’s prime minister. He was nominated by the Malaysian king, Sultan Abdullah, after the result of the elections over the weekend (Nov. 19).
Anwar’s coalition, Pakatan Harapan (Covenant of Hope), has 82 representatives in parliament, elected in the last election. The Perikatan Nasional (National Alliance), party of former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin, won 73 seats. Neither of the 2 obtained a majority in the House: 112 deputies.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved the country’s parliament in October and brought forward elections in a bid to stabilize Malaysia’s political landscape. The election was scheduled to be held only in September 2023.
Since 2018, when the last election was held, 3 prime ministers have been appointed. That year, Mahathir Mohamad took office, in which he remained for 22 months until he lost his majority in Parliament. He was replaced by Muhyiddin Yassin in February 2020 by order of the King. The latter resigned in 2021. In his place, Yaakob entered.
The 2022 elections come at a time when Malaysia’s economy is under pressure from rising costs and the global slowdown as it recovers from the effects of the pandemic.
In Malaysia, the majority of the population is of Malay origin, but it also comprises minorities of Chinese and Indian origin. The Muslim religion predominates in the country.
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