Malaysia's Prime Minister Resigns Amid Political Infighting, COVID-19 Crisis

Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and his cabinet have submitted their resignations to King Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin in the wake of a loss of confidence within his political party and a worsening COVID-19 crisis.

What Happened: Muhyiddin became Malaysia’s eighth prime minister on March 1, 2020, after the king appointed him to the office following the resignation of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad. With his resignation, he becomes the shortest-serving leader since the nation gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1957.

Muhyiddin’s government began with a tiny majority in Malaysia’s 222-seat parliament, according to a CNBC report, but relations between the prime minister and his United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) political party frayed over the summer and he was unable to build a coalition of support with rival parties. Although he planned for a confidence vote when parliament reconvened in September, he acknowledged in a speech on Friday he lacked a majority to back the continuation of his government.

Muhyiddin’s government came into power as the COVID-19 pandemic began to take root. Malaysia continues to struggle with the pandemic, with data showing 620.14 confirmed COVID cases per million people on Saturday, which makes it the top ranked in Asia and the sixth highest globally for new cases, despite having nearly one-third of the nation fully vaccinated.

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What Happens Next: The king has asked the 74-year-old Muhyiddin to stay on as a caretaker prime minister until a new government can be formed.

However, it appears the next prime minister will also be appointed by the monarch. CNBC translated the Malay-language statement issued by the royal place that declared the king believed an election is “not the best option” now due to the ongoing pandemic.

Photo: Atiqah Nazir / Flickr Creative Commons.